Barcelona's Goalkeeper Dilemma: Joan Garcia's Injury Update

Barcelona are breathing a little easier over Joan Garcia’s knee – but Hansi Flick still has a goalkeeper call to make before Sevilla.

The young keeper underwent medical tests on Thursday morning after feeling pain in his right knee during Wednesday’s win over Racing Santander. The problem came from an innocuous-looking slip on the soaked turf as he chased down a ball behind his goal in heavy rain, a freak moment far from the intensity of the penalty area.

Garcia managed to see out the first half, but the awkward movement raised enough alarms for Barcelona’s staff to pull him at the break as a precaution. Wojciech Szczesny took over for the second half and saw out the victory.

The real relief arrived at the training ground. Initial scans ruled out a serious injury and confirmed the discomfort is in Garcia’s right knee, not the left leg that needed surgery last season. Inside the club, that distinction matters.

Even so, Saturday at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan is suddenly in doubt for him.

“First-team player Joan Garcia is experiencing mild discomfort in his right knee. His availability will depend on the evolution of the injury,” Barcelona said in an official statement, keeping the door open but not wide.

Flick’s dilemma between Szczesny and Livakovic

The clock is ticking. Only 48 hours separate Thursday’s tests from kick-off in Andalusia, and Flick now walks a fine line between continuity and caution.

His track record points in one direction. The German coach does not like to gamble with fitness, especially on the eve of an international break. If there is any uncertainty, he tends to hold players back rather than squeeze one more game out of them.

That leans the decision towards Szczesny. The Pole came on cold against Racing, did his job, and remains the natural favourite to start if Garcia is not cleared. He knows the stage, he knows the pressure, and he has already been eased into this Barcelona side from the bench.

But there is another card on the table. Dominik Livakovic, Croatia’s No. 1 and a headline summer signing, is still waiting for his first official appearance in Blaugrana colours. A trip to Sevilla is no gentle introduction, yet it is exactly the sort of fixture big keepers are signed for.

Barcelona will run one last fitness test on Garcia in their final session before travelling south. If the medical team advises against any risk, the 23-year-old will effectively be handed a three-week window to recover fully during the international break.

Until then, the goal is Flick’s biggest question. Szczesny’s experience or Livakovic’s long-awaited debut – which pair of gloves will he trust when the lights come on in Seville?