According to the latest reporting from Catalan media, Barcelona will face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals at San Siro without their two starting full-backs as Jules Kounde is already ruled out with a hamstring injury and Alejandro Balde will not be risked as he’s still not fully recovered from a hamstring issue of his own.
Balde is working as hard as he can to be available as soon as possible and will certainly be gutted to be missing out on such a huge game, and he knows just how important he is to the team and to Barça’s chances of advancing to the European Cup Final. Balde has become one of the best left-backs in the world this season, especially since the start of 2025 when his performances reached a different level that very few players at his position could equal.
But the simple truth is that hamstring injuries are especially tricky, and the risk of a relapse is massive if the recovery isn’t fully complete. If Balde is rushed back against Inter and gets injured again his season will be over, and Barça have way too many big games left in their calendar beyond the trip to San Siro.
Even if the Catalans don’t make the Champions League Final they still have a title-deciding El Clásico next weekend, followed by very difficult La Liga games against Espanyol, Villarreal and a brutal trip to San Mamés to face Athletic Bilbao in the league finale. Depending on what happens against Real Madrid the Blaugrana might very well need to win all those matches to clinch the title, and having Balde in the lineup will certainly improve their chances.
There is also the very realistic possibility of Barça pulling off a massive result in Italy and making it to Munich, and having Balde available for the title match is a must given the Catalans would face either Bukayo Saka’s Arsenal or Ousmane Dembélé (plus Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola, Achraf Hakimi and Désiré Doué) and PSG, who would offer huge threats on the left side of Barça’s defense.
So with everything that is still to come, the only sensible choice is to make sure Balde is one hundred percent fit again for the rest of Barça’s season. His absence will certainly be felt against Inter, but it would be felt even more in the four (or possibly five) games after.
