Just hours before one of Barcelona’s next important fixtures, a surprise development in training has turned attention toward the goalkeeping position after one of the team’s key players missed the final session ahead of the upcoming match.
The absence is not believed to be the result of a serious injury, but the coaching staff have decided not to take any risks and have quickly moved to strengthen the position ahead of the trip to Seville, bringing a new name from La Masia into the picture.
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According to Mundo Deportivo, as reported by Barca Universal, Joan Garcia missed Barcelona’s final training session and has been ruled out of Saturday’s La Liga meeting with Sevilla.
Garcia was substituted at half-time during Barcelona’s recent match against Racing Santander after experiencing discomfort in his right knee. While the issue is not considered serious, Barcelona have opted for a cautious approach and decided against risking their first-choice goalkeeper.
Garcia’s absence means he joins Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji on Barcelona’s injury list, with the trio expected to be the club’s main absentees for the trip to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
With their first-choice goalkeeper unavailable, Hansi Flick has turned to La Masia by calling up 18-year-old Iker Rodriguez, the Barcelona Atletic goalkeeper, to train with the senior squad.
Rodriguez is expected to be included in Barcelona’s matchday squad against Sevilla as the third-choice goalkeeper, alongside Wojciech Szczesny and Dominik Livakovic, giving Flick additional cover in the position.
The young goalkeeper spent a significant part of pre-season training with the first team under Flick and has started Barcelona Atletic’s opening two league matches this season, keeping clean sheets against Naxara and Logrones B.
Meanwhile, Hamza Abdelkarim continued to train with the first team, while Belgian winger Jesse Bisiwu was not involved. The teenage summer signing has yet to feature in a first-team squad this season.
The development comes ahead of an important away match against Sevilla. Barcelona enter the game at the top of La Liga after winning their opening six matches, while Sevilla sit fifth after recording four victories from their first six league games.
As a result, Joan Garcia’s absence will not be the only storyline surrounding Barcelona ahead of the Sevilla clash, with his unavailability also opening the door for a young La Masia goalkeeper to step into the first-team squad as Flick looks to maintain Barcelona’s perfect start to the league campaign.
