Hansi Flick might look to rest Barcelona first-team regular against Getafe despite injury recovery

Hansi Flick might look to rest Barcelona first-team regular against Getafe despite injury recovery Barcelona may have Joan Garcia back for the La Liga meeting with Getafe, but Hansi Flick has a bigger decision to make than just putting him back into the starting XI. The 25-year-old has recovered from the knee problem that kept him out of Barcelona’s final matches before the international break and is expected to be available when Getafe visit the Spotify Camp Nou on October 10. However, according to SPORT , Flick could decide against immediately restoring Garcia to the starting XI.  This is because Barcelona’s demanding run of fixtures means protecting the goalkeeper could be more important than rushing him back. Garcia is fit again, but Getafe could come too soon Garcia suffered the injury shortly before half-time against Racing Santander after slipping awkwardly.  Joan Garcia was injured against Racing Club. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) He subsequently missed the meeting with Sevilla and was not included in Spain’s squad during the international break. Barcelona’s medical report described the problem as “slight discomfort” in the left knee, with his recovery expected to take between two and three weeks. That timeline puts Garcia in contention for Getafe, but the circumstances surrounding his return give Flick reason to be cautious. As such, Dominik Livakovic has already stepped in and produced a strong performance against Sevilla, and if the Croatian is available, Barcelona do not necessarily need to take a risk with Garcia immediately after his recovery. Barcelona face Galatasaray, Betis, PSG and Real Madrid The schedule that follows Getafe could ultimately decide the issue. Joan Garcia’s injury was not too serious. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Barcelona travel to face Galatasaray on October 13 before visiting Real Betis four days later.  The next challenge comes in Paris against PSG on October 20, leaving only five days before the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid on October 25. That sequence gives Flick a reason to think beyond a single league fixture. If Garcia starts against Getafe, he would have very little recovery time before Barcelona enter a run of three consecutive away matches against Galatasaray, Betis and PSG.  Hence, if Livakovic is trusted for one more game, Garcia could instead return when the stakes and workload increase.