Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia ruled out for around three weeks with knee injury

Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia will miss Saturday’s match against Sevilla after medical tests confirmed he has an injury to the meniscus in his right knee.

The club said on Thursday that Garcia is expected to be sidelined for about three weeks, meaning he should return after the international break. The timing of the injury means he is likely to miss only the fixture against Sevilla before becoming available again for the match against Getafe at Camp Nou on 10 October.

Garcia was replaced at half-time during Barcelona’s 7-2 La Liga victory over Racing Santander on Wednesday evening. Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny came on in his place after coach Hansi Flick decided not to risk the 24-year-old.

Reports following the match suggested Garcia had been injured while attempting to retrieve a ball that had gone out of play near the end of the first half. He slipped on the wet artificial surface, causing an unnatural movement and a slight twist to his ankle.

Barcelona initially said the goalkeeper had been experiencing minor discomfort in his right knee. In a statement posted on the club’s official X account, it said: “First-team player Joan Garcia presents slight discomfort in his right knee. The evolution of the injury will determine his availability.”

However, tests later showed that the problem was to the meniscus in his right knee, according to AS. The diagnosis rules Garcia out of the visit of Sevilla on Saturday, although he is expected to be fit once the international break has concluded.

The nature of the injury has provided some relief for Barcelona’s medical staff. The problem is in Garcia’s right knee rather than his left, which required surgery a year ago. The current injury is considered less serious and will not require an operation.

Garcia’s recovery programme will instead involve rehabilitation followed by a gradual return to first-team training and competitive football.

In his absence, all indications are that Flick will again select Szczesny in goal against Sevilla. The Poland international’s performance against Racing Santander has raised concerns among Barcelona supporters, however, after he made a mistake for the visitors’ second goal by losing possession in a manner that attracted widespread criticism.

The situation also recalls an incident from last season. Garcia was injured before Barcelona’s away game against Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, when Szczesny conceded four goals as Barcelona suffered a 4-1 defeat. It was the club’s first loss of that campaign at the time.