Barcelona face late call on Joan Garcia for Getafe match

Barcelona will make a late decision on whether goalkeeper Joan Garcia is fit to face Getafe in La Liga on Saturday.

The match is the eighth round of the Spanish league season, but Garcia’s availability remains uncertain despite returning to full training with the rest of the Barcelona squad on Wednesday.

Garcia has been out since Barcelona’s match against Racing three weeks ago. Physical pain prevented him from playing the second half of that game, and he was also unavailable for the following fixture against Sevilla, when Dominik Livakovic played the entire match.

According to Marca, Garcia’s involvement will depend largely on how he feels, with pain in his knee still the main concern. His condition is not expected to be assessed fully until Barcelona’s final training session on Friday, or possibly on Saturday itself.

The indications are that Garcia should be available, but Barcelona are continuing to monitor the swelling affecting the goalkeeper before making a final decision. He trained normally over the past two days, although the club will need to see how his knee responds in the hours leading up to the match.

If Garcia is ruled out, Livakovic would be the leading option to start, as he did against Sevilla in Barcelona’s last game before the international break.

The Croatia goalkeeper, however, endured a difficult international period. He conceded 14 goals in four matches in the UEFA Nations League.