Relief for Barcelona as star defender not injured; could return against Sevilla | OneFootball

If a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Newcastle United wasn’t enough, Barcelona suffered a major injury scare on Tuesday in the form of Eric Garcia.

The versatile defender, usually a first-team regular, did not even play at all against the Magpies due to muscular discomfort.

It gave way to concerns over his availability for the upcoming La Liga encounter against Sevilla on 15 March.

No concerns over Eric Garcia

However, Jijantes has now clarified that Eric Garcia has not picked up any fresh injury. The decision not to play him against Newcastle United was a cautionary measure from Flick.

This is because the defender had been suffering from muscle discomfort and an overload lately.

Eric Garcia is likely to be available vs Sevilla (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

The club didn’t want to risk him, especially with other defenders already dealing with issues. Ronald Araujo started in his place instead.

Now, medical tests in Barcelona have ruled out any serious injury. It’s just a minor overload, and he’s not ruled out for Sunday’s league game against Sevilla.

However, any final decision would depend on how Garcia feels before the game and how quickly he can overcome his issues.

On the basis of that, Flick will decide whether or not to start the Spaniard on the bench or to put him in the starting eleven once again.

It must be noted that Barcelona are slated to take on Newcastle United in the second leg in less than a week’s time, which means the club could likely hand Garcia a breather against Sevilla.