NOU CAMP ROARS: JULES KOUNDE DOUBLE COMPLETES BARCELONA COMEBACK VS FRANKFURT
Jules Kounde was the hero, scoring two goals in four minutes to power Barcelona's 2-1 Champions League comeback win against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Nou Camp.
Jules Kounde scored twice as Barcelona came back from a goal down to beat Eintracht Frankfurt in their first Champions League game at the Nou Camp in over three years.
Frankfurt took the lead in the 21st minute when Ansgar Knauff got on the end of Nathaniel Brown's pass, fended off Alejandro Balde, and put the ball past Joan Garcia.
Marcus Rashford, who came on as a substitute at halftime, had a quick impact, crossing from the left for Kounde to head in at the 50th minute.
The France defender scored again three minutes later, connecting with Lamine Yamal's pass when he was open six yards out.
This win puts Barcelona, who have won the Champions League five times, at 10 points from six games. With two games left, they're still in the running for a top-eight spot, which would send them straight to the last 16, skipping the playoff round.
Hansi Flick's team plays Slavia Prague on January 21 and finishes their group stage at home against Copenhagen a week later.
Eintracht Frankfurt, who are seventh in the German Bundesliga, are in danger of being knocked out of European competition with only four points from their first six games.
This was Barcelona's fourth game at the Nou Camp since it reopened last month after renovations.
The last Champions League match at the stadium was in October 2022, when they lost 3-0 to Bayern Munich. In February 2023, they played in the Europa League.
The Nou Camp started its £1.1 billion renovation in June 2023 to modernise the stadium and increase its capacity to 105,000, which would make it one of the biggest in the world.
After playing most of the last two seasons at the Estadi Olimpic, which hosted the 1992 Olympics, the Nou Camp reopened with a reduced capacity of 45,401. Work is still being done on the top tier and the roof.
Flick's team has now won all four of their matches back at their home ground.
Frankfurt, who have struggled in their league and lost 6-0 to RB Leipzig on Saturday, scored first and had chances to score a second. However, Ellyes Skhiri and Fares Chaibi both shot over the bar.
Kounde's two goals in four minutes turned the game around for Barcelona, who had lost 3-0 to Chelsea in their previous Champions League match.
The only bad news for Barcelona was a second-half yellow card for Yamal after a foul on Brown. This means he'll miss the trip to Prague.
JOAN GARCIA'S UCL MISSION: CAN BARCELONA END EIGHT-GAME CLEAN SHEET DROUGHT
FC Barcelona faces Eintracht Frankfurt, needing a win to keep UCL top-eight hopes alive. Goalkeeper Joan Garcia returns, tasked with ending an 8-game clean sheet streak.
FC Barcelona is back in the Champions League on Tuesday night, facing Eintracht Frankfurt in their sixth group stage game of the 2025/26 season.
After five games, Barcelona is in 18th place with two wins, two losses, and a draw. To finish in the top eight, they need some luck.
But first, Barcelona has to win all their remaining games, starting with the one against Eintracht as the first priority.
Joan Garcia faces a tough test.
It won't be easy, as Barcelona's Champions League form, especially on defense, hasn't been great.
Goalie Joan Garcia will face a tough test in Tuesday's game against Eintracht Frankfurt, according to AS.
Hansi Flick’s Barça hasn't kept a clean sheet in their last eight Champions League games, letting in goals each time.
Since April 9, when Barça beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in the first leg of last season's quarter-finals, they haven't kept a clean sheet in Europe. They've played eight straight games without stopping the other team from scoring.
This started with the second-leg loss in Dortmund (3-1), followed by the semi-finals against Inter (3-3 and 4-3). This season, it continued against Newcastle United (1-2), PSG (1-2), Olympiacos (6-1), Club Brugge (4-4), and Chelsea (3-0).
Garcia was hurt in the Real Betis game and had to leave the field.
Still, the 24-year-old goalie practiced as normal today before the Eintracht Frankfurt game at Camp Nou. He's recovered and ready to play.
Garcia, who already has four clean sheets in La Liga this season, now wants one in the Champions League to end Barcelona's eight-game streak without one.
€500M DILEMMA: GIRONA TARGETS MARC BERNAL LOAN AS BARCELONA RISK LOSING TALENT
Girona wants €500m-rated talent Marc Bernal on loan in January due to his lack of minutes under Flick. The move is necessary for his Spain U-21 prospects.
Good news for Barcelona fans: Joan Garcia should be ready to play in Tuesday's Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou.
There was some concern when Garcia was seen limping after Saturday's win against Real Betis. He also trained in the gym on Sunday.
But Javi Miguel from Diario AS reported on X that Garcia is fine. He said Garcia isn't worried and that it's just a minor knock, and he'll be back training with the other goalkeepers soon.
This is a boost for Hansi Flick's team as they get ready to face Frankfurt, who are coming off a rough 6-0 loss to RB Leipzig and have some attackers dealing with injuries.
Michy Batshuayi had to leave the Leipzig game early due to injury, and Jonathan Burkardt is also likely to miss the Barcelona match.
Frankfurt's coach, Dino Toppmoller, didn't hold back after Saturday's defeat, even apologizing to the fans.
He told reporters that Leipzig deserved to win by that much because his team played poorly in the second. He said they weren't sharp enough and made it too easy for Leipzig. He added that it was a very poor showing overall and apologized to the fans who traveled to support them.
In other news, Girona is interested in taking Barcelona's Marc Bernal on loan in January. The 18-year-old hasn't played much since returning from an ACL injury he picked up in the 2024-25 season.
Bernal wants to play more.
After breaking into Barcelona's youth system in 2024-25, Bernal's season was cut short by a knee injury in a game against Rayo Vallecano in August 2024. After being out for over a year, he was declared fit on September 13, 2025.
Bernal made a great comeback, getting an assist in a 6-0 win against Valencia. Since then, he's only played in a few games and wants more playing time under coach Flick.
Mundo Deportivo reported in November that Bernal is thinking about his options for the January transfer window. While Barcelona doesn't want him to leave, he may want a loan move to get more minutes on the field.
Nil Sola reports that Girona is thinking about making an offer to sign Bernal on loan in January. They're looking to strengthen their squad after a tough start to the season. Girona is near the bottom of the league, with only two wins in their first 15 games.
Sola said on Catalunya Radio that Marc Bernal is a player Girona really likes and would be very interested in signing if a loan is possible.
Bernal's lack of playing time is also affecting his chances with the national team.
He was left out of the Spain U-21 squad in November, with the coach saying it was because he wasn't playing enough for Barcelona. The coach said that Bernal is one of their own, but he's not in a good situation right now because he's not getting enough playing time.
Bernal has a huge release clause in his contract.
It might be hard for Bernal to leave Barcelona permanently. The club extended his contract until 2029 and set a release clause of €500 million. The club said they rate him highly and plan to include him in the team in the future. But they might let him go on loan in January so he can get more experience.