When asked how he felt after missing the first two rounds due to the “financial fair play” restrictions in La Liga, the former Seville player confirmed that he dealt with the matter “calmly”.

He continued, “I focused on training well and regaining mental fitness and focus so that I would be ready to play at any moment.”

Regarding tomorrow’s match against Viktoria Plzen at Spotify Camp Nou, Kounde indicated that the competition in the Champions League is “a wonderful and exciting thing.”

He concluded: “It’s a competition to win. In fact, the team has a lot of room to develop, and the coach still puts his ideas into the team. There are many things to improve, but we have a comprehensive team with a lot of quality and a desire to compete.”

Kounde expressed his conviction that Barca, who plays alongside the Czech team, Inter Milan, and Bayern Munich in Group C, has many chances to qualify for the round of 16.