Report: The number of goals Joan Garcia can afford to concede vs Valencia and still win Zamora Trophy | OneFootball

Even though Barcelona have already wrapped up the La Liga title, there is still one important personal target left to settle before the season officially ends.

Notably, Goalkeeper Joan Garcia remains in pole position to win the prestigious Zamora Trophy, awarded to the goalkeeper with the best goals-conceded average in Spain’s top division.

After being rested against Alaves in Barcelona’s previous league match, the young goalkeeper is expected to return to the starting lineup for the final fixture against Valencia at Mestalla.

At the moment, the Barcelona goalkeeper leads the Zamora standings with 21 goals conceded across 30 matches, giving him an impressive average of 0.70 goals per game. 

Meanwhile, his competitor Thibaut Courtois sits behind him after conceding 26 goals in 31 matches, averaging 0.81.

Joan Garcia is leading the Zamora standings. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

That difference currently places the Barcelona goalkeeper in a very strong position heading into the last round of fixtures.

How many goals can he concede vs Valencia?

The rules surrounding the Zamora Trophy require goalkeepers to play at least 28 league matches with a minimum of 60 minutes in each appearance. 

Despite injury issues during different stages of the season, both Joan Garcia and Courtois comfortably meet those requirements.

Barcelona’s goalkeeper now knows exactly what he needs to secure the honour.

Even if Courtois manages to keep a clean sheet against Athletic Club at the Santiago Bernabeu, SPORT mentions that Joan Garcia could still afford to concede up to four goals against Valencia and remain ahead in the rankings.

The Barcelona goalkeeper has some leverage over Courtois. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The margins, however, would become extremely tight.

If Valencia were somehow able to score five goals while Courtois kept a clean sheet for Real Madrid, the Belgian goalkeeper would leapfrog the Barcelona shot-stopper in the final standings.

What can be done in that case?

That possibility explains why there is already some discussion around how Hansi Flick could manage the situation tactically if the match unexpectedly becomes chaotic.

Barcelona are expected to rotate heavily for this match, but if the game spirals into a high-scoring contest, Flick could theoretically substitute Joan Garcia after the 60th minute to protect his average.

More importantly, though, Garcia would want to put on a strong performance as this would keep him in contention to secure a place in the Spanish national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.