Barcelona Face Sevilla Without First-Choice Keeper Garcia
FC Barcelona boarded the plane to Seville on Friday with one notable name missing from the list. Joan Garcia, Hansi Flick’s undisputed No. 1 this season, did not take part in the final training session and has been ruled out of Saturday’s La Liga clash at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
The decision is precautionary but significant.
Garcia came off at half-time in the win over Racing Santander after feeling discomfort in his right knee. The problem is not considered serious, yet the club has decided not to gamble with the goalkeeper who has anchored their perfect start to the league campaign. With a long season ahead and an international break around the corner, Barça are choosing the safer route.
His name now joins Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji on the injury list. Barring late surprises, those three will be the only absentees for the trip to face Sevilla.
Iker Rodriguez promoted again
Garcia’s absence opened a door that Iker Rodriguez already knows well.
Flick has called up the 18-year-old Barça Atletic goalkeeper to work with the senior squad and travel as third-choice keeper. The pecking order for Seville is clear: Wojciech Szczesny is expected to start, Dominik Livakovic will be on the bench, and Rodriguez will provide extra cover.
For the teenager, it’s another step in a rapid rise. He spent a large chunk of pre-season under Flick, training daily with the first team and leaving a strong impression on the staff. Inside the club, they rate him highly.
He has backed that up in competitive action. Rodriguez has started Barça Atletic’s first two league fixtures of the season and kept clean sheets in both, against Naxara and Logrones B. Now he swaps the smaller grounds of the lower divisions for the noise and intensity of the Sanchez-Pizjuan, even if his role is likely to be limited to the bench.
Hamza Abdelkarim also continued to work with the first team in the final session, underlining Flick’s growing trust in the club’s young core. Belgian winger Jesse Bisiwu, however, was not involved. The teenage summer signing is still waiting for his first appearance in a senior matchday squad, and that wait looks set to stretch at least one more weekend.
Perfect start on the line in Seville
All of this unfolds against the backdrop of a Barcelona side that has started La Liga at full throttle.
- Six games.
- Six wins.
- Top of the table alone.
Flick’s team has not just collected points; they have done it with authority in the final third, regularly overpowering opponents with wave after wave of attacks. The goals have flowed, the confidence has grown, and the rhythm has felt increasingly hard to disrupt.
Sevilla, though, represent a different kind of examination. They sit fifth after winning four of their opening six league matches and rarely make life easy for visiting sides at the Sanchez-Pizjuan. The atmosphere bites, the tempo rises, and any weakness – especially the loss of a first-choice goalkeeper – can be exposed in an instant.
Barcelona arrive without Garcia, but with momentum, depth, and a teenager on the bench ready to seize any unexpected chance.
If they come through this test with the streak intact, how much louder will the early talk about a title charge become?
