The French national team, affectionately known as Les Bleus, is grappling with a significant injury crisis as they convene at their Clairefontaine training base to prepare for two pivotal 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Ukraine on November 13 and Azerbaijan on November 16. The squad has already seen a string of high-profile withdrawals, including Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot, Désiré Doué, and Ousmane Dembélé, forcing manager Didier Deschamps to scramble for replacements.

Adding to the growing list of concerns is the fitness of Barcelona defender Jules Koundé. The French international was unable to complete Barcelona’s collective training session this past Saturday morning. He had already been rested the previous day during a public training session at the Camp Nou.Reports indicate that Koundé felt discomfort in his foot after only a few minutes of participation, forcing him to cut his session short.

Despite this setback, sources suggest that Koundé is still expected to report to Clairefontaine on Monday. A thorough medical evaluation will be conducted by the national team’s medical staff to determine his availability for the upcoming fixtures. This situation mirrors a similar concern Koundé faced prior to the recent El Clásico, where he missed several training sessions after sustaining a knee injury during a Champions League match against Olympiakos.

FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Koundé’s fitness during a press conference, admitting he had strong doubts about the defender’s ability to feature in Sunday’s match against Celta Vigo. This latest physical issue comes at a time when koundé has appeared to be struggling for consistent form with his club this season.

However, Koundé retains the full confidence of his national team coach. On Thursday, when announcing his 24-man squad, Deschamps publicly defended the player, highlighting the immense workload Koundé has shouldered since the previous year. I’m not worried, but he’s a player who has played a lot, a lot, a lot, Deschamps stated, drawing parallels to other players who have dealt with injuries due to extensive playing time. Like others who had injuries, he recalls. When you play… (The original text was cut off here, but the sentiment emphasizes the player’s heavy usage).

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