Barcelona defender does not participate in group training session with national team | OneFootball

With the final international break of 2025 underway, FC Barcelona have a number of players away to represent their respective national teams.

As per usual, Jules Kounde has been called up by France manager Didier Deschamps, as they get set to take on Ukraine and Azerbaijan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Kounde not training

However, according to L’Equipe, Kounde did not take part in the group training session with the rest of the squad today.

The 26-year-old Barcelona defender, along with Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, did not work with the other 22 members of the squad called up by Deschamps.

Instead, after signing autographs for the many supporters who attended the open session, Kounde and Camavinga left their teammates to complete individual running exercises with France’s fitness coach, Cyril Moine.

For now, the participation of the Barcelona defender and the Real Madrid midfielder in Thursday’s match at the Parc des Princes does not appear to be in doubt.

Kounde missed group training with France. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

It must be noted that Kounde did not play any part in the Blaugrana’s last match against Celta Vigo before the international break.

The French international had been dealing with some fatigue and fitness issues, which cast doubts over his availability for Sunday’s game. But he was still included in the squad, although he remained an unused substitute.

So far this term, Kounde has played 15 matches for Barcelona, scoring and assisting one goal in the process.

The 26-year-old right-back has been far from his best in the ongoing campaign, with his form taking a nosedive.

With an important stretch of matches coming up, Barcelona will be hoping that the defender can recover his best version at the earliest possible.