FC Barcelona hopes to have Joan García available after the third international break of 2025/26. The Barça goalkeeper suffered a tear of the internal meniscus in his left knee on September 25 in the victory against Oviedo (1-3), an injury that forced him to undergo surgery with a recovery time of 4 to 6 weeks.
After a little more than a month away from the Barça squad, the player from Sallent is very close to being medically cleared. However, the coaching staff will not take any risks by rushing his return to the goal, as the club maintains full confidence in Wojciech Szczesny's work as his replacement.
"Normally, I expect him to return to the team after the break, but he won't be ready for Wednesday. He's doing very well. The progress is good. He has been training with De la Fuente (goalkeeping coach) and he looks very good," explained Hansi Flick in the press conference after the Barça-Elche.
When will Joan García play for Barça again?
In that regard, although his presence in the squad for matchday 12 of LaLiga, against Celta at Balaídos, is not ruled out, Joan García will not be available to play until mid-November.
In principle, the Catalan goalkeeper could return to Barça's goal on Saturday, November 22, against Athletic Club, a match where the 'culés' also hope to recover Raphinha. The Brazilian relapsed from his injury in the right thigh before the Clásico, but hopes to be available for matchday 13 of La Liga.
Athletic's visit to Catalonia may also coincide with the expected reopening of the Spotify Camp Nou. To this end, the club must process the first occupancy license for the Lateral del Estadi in the next two weeks, thus completing phase 1B with a capacity for 45,000 spectators.
Upcoming FC Barcelona matches:
- Wednesday 11/05/2025: Bruges vs Barcelona (Champions League, Matchday 4 in Belgium at 21:00 CEST).
- Sunday 11/09/2025: Celta vs Barcelona (LaLiga, Matchday 12 in Vigo at 21:00 CEST).
- Saturday 11/22/2025: Barcelona vs Athletic (LaLiga, Matchday 13 at Camp Nou* at 16:15 CEST).
- Tuesday 11/25/2025: Chelsea vs Barcelona (Champions League, Matchday 5 in London at 21:00 CEST).
Joan García: a key figure in overcoming defensive problems in Barcelona
While there is full confidence in Szczeesny's work between the posts, the records show that, in the first stretch of 25/26, Barça defends better with the man from Sallent in the goal. Both goalkeepers have played 7 games each, with clearly contrasting records.
Joan García conceded 5 goals in his first 7 appearances, also keeping a clean sheet on 3 occasions. 'Tek', meanwhile, has conceded 12 goals in the same number of matches, without managing to keep a clean sheet yet.
At this point in the 24/25 season (11 league matchdays and 3 Champions League matchdays played), Flick's Barça had conceded 13 goals, 4 fewer than in the current season (17). Ter Stegen played the first 6 matches, conceding 7 goals. Iñaki Peña, meanwhile, conceded 6 goals in his first 8 matches last season.
The defensive records are similar, but the 'Azulgrana' team, in La Liga, has 5 points less than those obtained in the first 11 matchdays of the 24/25 season (30). The main difference has to do with the offense, since the team scored 37 goals at the start of the previous tournament, 9 less than in the current season (28).
- 👉 Discover more records of Barça's performance in the STATISTICS section of FC Barcelona Noticias