Koundé benched for the third time this season—he angered Flick

Tonight, Barcelona is playing at home against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga’s 24th round. However, one key player is unexpectedly absent from the starting lineup.

Details: In a surprising decision, Jules Koundé was left on the bench, with Barcelona academy graduate Héctor Fort taking his place at right-back.

Before the match, head coach Hansi Flick stated that Koundé’s absence from the starting XI was an internal decision.

However, according to Helena Condis, Koundé arrived late to the team meeting before the match, which led to his punishment.

This marks only the third time this season that Koundé has not started for Barcelona. Across 36 matches this season, he has 3 goals and 7 assists.

Reminder: Ansu Fati returned to Barcelona’s squad for this match.