Madrid, Oct 19 (IANS) FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has called up 18-year-old Barca Atletic defender Alex Campos and Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim to his squad ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie away to reigning European champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Flick is without three defenders — Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde — with Garcia and Kounde picking up injuries in Saturday’s 5-2 win away to Real Betis.
Campos has been a regular starter for Barca Atletic this season and is described as a player who is reliable in his defensive duties, strong in the air and comfortable playing the ball out from the back, reports Xinhua.
Abdelkarim has featured for both the first team and the reserves this season since making his move from Al Ahly permanent. He played for Barca Atletic this past weekend in the RFEF Second Federation, the fourth tier of Spanish football, scoring in a 2-1 win over Utebo.
Earlier on Sunday, Barcelona confirmed that defenders Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde will miss Tuesday’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain with injuries, with Garcia also ruled out of next weekend’s match against Real Madrid.
Garcia faces up to four weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury, while Kounde’s availability for Sunday’s meeting with Real Madrid remains uncertain because of an ankle sprain.
“Eric Garcia has sustained a muscle injury to the rectus femoris in his right thigh. The recovery period is expected to be between three and four weeks,” Barcelona said on its official website.
The injury means Garcia will also miss upcoming matches against Alaves and Aston Villa. Kounde’s injury is less serious, although the French defender will be unavailable for the Champions League clash with PSG.
The club confirmed that Kounde “has sustained a sprain to his left ankle and will be unavailable for the match against PSG.” Barcelona added that his availability for the Clasico would depend on his recovery.
There was better news for Gerard Martin, who was substituted at halftime during Saturday’s 5-2 La Liga victory at Real Betis. The defender suffered only bruising and is expected to be available against PSG.
–IANS
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