Barcelona have enjoyed plenty of success under Hansi Flick, with the German coach already building a strong trophy record since taking charge.
His first season at the club ended with a domestic treble, as Barca lifted the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey and La Liga during the 2024/25 campaign.
The Copa del Rey was particularly memorable, with Barcelona beating Real Madrid in the final to secure their 32nd triumph in the competition.
Barca then added another league title and Spanish Super Cup to their collection during the 2025/26 season, taking Flick’s trophy haul with the club even further.
That winning momentum has raised expectations around the current squad, with Flick relying heavily on a group that has already shown it can compete for major honours.
Defensive depth remains particularly important, however, with the manager continuing to rotate his options across the back line as Barcelona navigate another demanding campaign.
Barcelona have now received encouraging news regarding Eric Garcia after the defender was sent home early from Spain duty with discomfort in his left knee.
Eric Garcia felt the problem during the warm-up before Spain’s Nations League meeting with England at Wembley, ruling him out of a match in which he had been expected to start.
The Spanish medical staff subsequently carried out tests before deciding to release the Barcelona defender from the squad as a precaution, with Robin Le Normand called up as his replacement.
Further checks in Barcelona have provided even more reason for optimism, with the club’s medical staff finding no significant injury and agreeing with the decision to take a cautious approach, as reported by Alex Pintanel on X.
Reports indicate that Garcia’s issue is a minor knee problem rather than a serious injury, meaning the focus is now on allowing the discomfort to settle without taking unnecessary risks.
That will come as a major boost to Flick, particularly given how important Garcia has become to his plans during the opening weeks of the season.
The 25-year-old has been used at right-back despite being a natural centre-back and has already accumulated 469 minutes for Barca this season, putting him ahead of Jules Kounde in the club’s minutes ranking.
Kounde, meanwhile, has played 261 minutes across La Liga and the Champions League so far, meaning Garcia’s continued availability gives Flick another option in an area where the squad has already suffered setbacks.
Barcelona are therefore hopeful Garcia will be fully recovered in time for their next La Liga fixture against Getafe on October 10, giving the defender a reasonable window to recover before returning to competitive action.
✅ Es confirma que Eric Garcia no té res greu. Ha tornat a Barcelona per precaució. Estarà disponible pel pròxim partit contra el Getafe.
— Alex Pintanel (@alexpintanel) September 28, 2026
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