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Barcelona have suffered a double injury blow with Joan Garcia and Raphinha injured ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The goalkeeper was injured on Friday, September 26, during a training session, while the Brazilian winger came off injured in the win over Real Oviedo.
According to a report in Jijantes FC, Garcia and Raphinha are unlikely to be in the team in the games against Real Sociedad and PSG. The two have been a key part of Flick's starting XI, and the goalkeeper is now set to be out until the October international break.
The injury comes just hours after the goalkeeper made a mistake in the win over Real Oviedo. He was over 30 yards out of the goal, but Flick backed the Spaniard to keep going and said (via GOAL):
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"It's the style we want him to play, and it can happen, that's what I have to say. He's a fantastic goalkeeper, the one who defends our back line, and he always does it very well. It was a mistake, and they took advantage of it, but it's football, and the important thing is that we won."
Garcia has been the main goalkeeper for Barcelona this season, after moving from Espanyol for €25 million. The injury will be a big headache for Flick, as Marc-Andre ter Stegen has also been ruled out since the start of the season following surgery.
Raphinha's injury also comes at a bad time, as Lamine Yamal has also missed the last few matches.
Barcelona will have to turn to Wojciech Szczęsny with Joan Garcia injured
Barcelona have Wojciech Szczęsny as the backup for Joan Garcia, after the experienced goalkeeper signed a 2-year deal at the club in the summer. He spoke about Garcia earlier this month and admitted that he was happy to be the substitute and said (via GOAL):
"I'm a substitute and, barring any surprises, I'll remain so. My role this season is to prepare Joan García as best as possible for the matches. I'm very proud to play this role; I've been preparing for it since signing my new contract and I'm not disappointed."
"I think he's a goalkeeper with incredible potential, who's already among the best in Europe physically. Joan lacks experience at the highest level, and that's something he needs to strengthen. It's not easy to play every three days under so much pressure. It's something he needs to learn. I hope I can contribute to his success."
Wojciech Szczęsny had retired from football in 2024 but joined Barcelona in the middle of the 2024/25 season after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered an ACL injury.
