Barcelona confident of key player’s return for El Clasico

Originally posted on Football Espana | By John Menzies | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 7:29 AM ET

Barcelona are hoping to call on a number of returning players for the first El Clasico fixture of the season. There is an expectation that Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal will be back after the international break, but there is much less certainty surrounding the situation with Joan Garcia.

Garcia, who has been Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper since his move from Espanyol in the summer, underwent minor surgery on his knee in the aftermath of last month’s victory at Real Oviedo, and it’s believed that he will be out for 4-6 weeks. This makes him a major doubt for the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, but it does appear that he is closer than expected in his bid to make a return.

As per Sport, Garcia is pushing to be available for El Clasico, with both he and Barcelona said to be optimistic of him receiving the medical green light before facing Real Madrid on the 26th of October.

Garcia will definitely miss the matches against Girona and Olympiacos, but right now, it appears that he has many chances to be available to Hansi Flick for the first Clasico of the season.

Another report claims Garcia likely to miss out

Interestingly, a report from MD has stated that Barcelona will not rush Garcia back to action, meaning that he will not appear against Real Madrid unless he is 100% fit. He has not yet been ruled out of El Clasico, but the expectation is that Flick will be forced to continue with Wojciech Szczesny as his goalkeeper.

It would certainly be a blow for Barcelona if Garcia were to miss out, given how impressive he has been since joining in the summer. However, Szczesny has a 100% record against Real Madrid from his time in Catalonia, so it is not terrible if he plays instead.

This article first appeared on Football Espana and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: