Joan Garcia's Early Exit at Camp Nou

Joan Garcia’s night at Camp Nou ended earlier than planned, but for now Barcelona are breathing easy.

The young goalkeeper was forced off at half-time of Wednesday’s La Liga meeting with Racing after appearing to slip just before the interval. He did not re-emerge for the second half, with Wojciech Szczęsny stepping in for his first appearance of the season in a Barcelona shirt.

Hansi Flick turned to the veteran for the restart, choosing the experienced Pole ahead of summer signing Dominik Livakovic as Barcelona closed out the game under the lights at Camp Nou.

Initial reports from RAC1 point to caution rather than crisis. The club decided to withdraw the Spain international as a preventive measure, and the early indication is that Garcia has avoided serious injury.

He will still undergo further tests to confirm the extent of the knock. Barcelona, though, are hopeful he will be available again for Saturday’s clash with Sevilla, a quick turnaround that will test both the squad’s depth and Flick’s goalkeeping hierarchy.