Will Jules Kounde Start Against Real Madrid in El Clasico?

Barcelona are set to play in their first El Clásico of the 2025/26 season when they travel to face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday (October 26, 2025). Ahead of the game, Hansi Flick's side are suffering from some notable injury concerns and that includes some questions around the overall fitness of their reliable right-back Jules Kounde. Below, we look at will Jules Kounde start against Real Madrid in the El Clásico.

Will Jules Kounde Play For Barcelona Against Real Madrid?

Barcelona are actually missing several notable players heading into their huge game at the Santiago Bernabeu. The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Gavi, Joan Garcia, Dani Olmo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are already ruled out for this game, with there being some doubts over the fitness of Raphinha and Andreas Christensen heading into the game.

Some doubts have popped up about will Jules Kounde start against Real Madrid. That is because the French defender reportedly missed a few days of training for Barcelona just before their trip to the Spanish capital. Even though Kounde's exact injury issues have not been disclosed yet, he did miss training because of some problem weighing him down.

However, all is still not lost when it comes to Kounde's possibility of playing in the El Clásico for Barcelona. That is because it's now being reported that Kounde is poised to make a return to Barcelona's training session on Saturday (October 25), one day before the game. The French defender will now be testing himself in the training session for Hansi Flick's side to check out his fitness levels, after which it'll be decided on will Jules Kounde start in the El Clasico against Real Madrid. Barcelona will be praying that Kounde can make himself available for the derby, as his unavailability might force Hansi Flick to play Eric Garcia in the right-back spot instead.

How Has Jules Kounde Performed for Barcelona This Season?

Jules Kounde has been a vital player for Barcelona ever since the arrival of Hansi Flick as their head coach in 2024. After playing in 53 matches for Barcelona in the 2024/25 season, the 26-year-old defender has had a pretty good start to the 2025/26 campaign for the Blaugrana. Kounde has played in 12 matches for Barcelona in the ongoing campaign, being used as a substitute in two of those matches.

He has scored one goal in the 12 matches so far, which was a vital goal in the 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. Moreover, Jules Kounde has also helped Barcelona keep three clean sheets in the 2025/26 campaign so far, producing some efficient and hard-working performances in the right-back spot.

Another major reason on fans wondering on will Jules Kounde start against Real Madrid in El Clasico is because of his impressive performances in the El Clasico in the 2024/25 season. He scored one goal and provided an assist in three appearances against Real Madrid last season, helping Barcelona win all three matches in which he featured.