Barcelona can breathe easy over the fitness of goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who was removed during their Champions League win over Newcastle United. The Blaugrana were cruising to an 8-3 aggregate win over the Magpies at Camp Nou, when Garcia went down in the 80th minute feeling the back of his calf.
The crowd reacted with audible concern when Garcia went down, and he was swiftly removed for Wojciech Szczesny, who played out a comfortable final 10 minutes. Garcia’s injury was a primary concern, and it was feared that he could miss their Champions League quarter-final clashes against Atletico Madrid. Manager Hansi Flick did note that it ‘did not seem serious‘, but the suspicion was he would miss two to three weeks of action.
🚨 Joelinton (Newcastle United): “You try to pressure one player, but the other already has the ball. You keep pressing, and then everything starts again. After a while, you just run… you don’t even know who you’re chasing anymore.” [via @mundodeportivo] 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/7iSvajmnhq
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 19, 2026
Joan Garcia escapes injury
According to Cadena SER, after undergoing tests on the muscle, no injury has been found. Garcia did not feel a sharp pain in his leg, which was taken as a positive sign, and it seems that his calf muscle was simply tight. In theory, he is available to face Rayo Vallecano on Sunday (14:00 CEST), and is also available for Spain selection should Luis de la Fuente call him up on Friday. Garcia did miss training twice last week with muscle discomfort though, and Barcelona may be tempted to avoid any risk by resting him this weekend.
Positive news on Eric Garcia
There was equally positive news on Eric Garcia. He too was taken off after just 20 minutes, having missed their last two games with muscle discomfort, albeit he was on the bench. MD say that Barcelona did not conduct tests on Garcia on Thursday, as his substitution was purely precaution. Garcia could feel himself struggling with the high tempo, and feared a more serious injury, so indicated that he should come off.
