De la Fuente leaves Joan Garcia out of Spain v Serbia | OneFootball

Joan Garcia will be left out of Spain’s friendly against Serbia on Friday, according to Superdeporte, with Luis de la Fuente’s four-keeper call-up putting the spotlight on the position.

The Barcelona goalkeeper will not be assigned a number for the match at La Cerámica, and will wait for the RCD Stadium meeting with Egypt in Cornellà.

From the outset, Unai Simón is his number one and all signs point to him starting the first of the two friendlies. The Athletic goalkeeper should be the starter, with others on the bench. De la Fuente could share minutes across the window, though the opener looks the more significant game and may feature his preferred choices.

Stacking the first fixture with senior picks would offer them extra recovery before Tuesday in Cornellà against Egypt, where a totally different line-up will be seen.

The coach also weighed whether Garcia should debut in the second half at La Cerámica or wait for Cornellà, where his return to Espanyol’s ground as a home player would carry symbolism and could draw whistles from sections of the blanquiazul support. The decision, for now, is that he will not feature in Villarreal.

Garcia has maintained respectful conduct towards his former club, including in the league derby when he avoided celebrations and calmly removed objects thrown from the stands. Meanwhile, David Raya and Álex Remiro also push for minutes to strengthen their cases for the World Cup.

Source: Superdeporte