Watch: Barcelona defender trains with a protective mask ahead of Celta Vigo clash | OneFootball

Barcelona’s draw against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League came as a big blow to the team’s hopes of directly qualifying for the knockout stages, as they must now virtually win all their games to guarantee themselves the same.

Another major setback Hansi Flick’s side faced on the night was the injury to Eric Garcia late in the game when he got into a rough challenge with Romeo Vermant.

The club later confirmed that the player had indeed broken his nose, and while it has no direct impact on his football, his situation is critical to be maintained with care to prevent any aggravation.

Mask in place

Now, as Barcelona players stepped onto the Camp Nou turf in an open training session, the defender trained with the team with a mask already in place to protect his nose.

In the special training session, the player was seen to be freely training without any mask initially but soon put on the protection once the ball was introduced.

The player has trained with the team as usual and is thus expected to be available for Barcelona’s game against Celta Vigo this weekend.

Hansi Flick, however, is not in favour of handing him the start out of precaution and prefers that he rests to return only after the international break.

It is not new for a player to feature with a mask in place, especially for a defender to do so.

In Barcelona’s context, one remembers Carles Puyol doing the same in the past, and Garcia could thus start vs Celta given Flick’s relative lack of options.

So far this season, the Spaniard has played 11 league games for Barcelona with nine starts in his kitty and averages over nine defensive actions per game.