Joan Garcia To Play In UCL? Barcelona Reveal Goalkeeper's Return Date

Barcelona looks to build on more winning momentum when they face off against Club Brugge in the fourth matchday of the league stages of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. However, many fans are starting to wonder about Joan Garcia return date and exactly when Joan Garcia can be back in action for the Blaugrana. Now, we'll look at the Joan Garcia injury situation ahead of the Barcelona vs Club Brugge clash.

Will Joan Garcia Be Available For Barcelona vs Club Brugge?

The 24-year-old Joan Garcia has been out of action for Barcelona since late September 2025 and has ended up missing quite a few games as well. The Joan Garcia injury actually happened in Barcelona's 3-1 win over Real Oviedo on September 26, when he ended up suffering a meniscus tear, forcing the Spaniard to be out of action as he works on his recovery.

The latest Joan Garcia injury update ahead of the Barcelona vs Club Brugge clash is that Barcelona does not want to rush the Spanish goalkeeper back into action. He has not been able to rejoin first-team training yet because the club feels that it's still too early for him to amp up his intensity levels in training, fearing a possible relapse in his injury. He is training individually and slowly working his way back into fitness.

That means Joan Garcia is not going to be available for the Barcelona vs Club Brugge clash, mostly because of the La Liga heavyweights just not wanting to risk him back so soon. The Joan Garcia return date is actually sometime later in November 2025, and he is currently being tipped to return to action for Barcelona after the November international break, possibly in the La Liga game against Athletic Bilbao right after the break. Joan Garcia has made seven appearances for Barcelona in the 2025/26 season so far, in which he's managed to keep three clean sheets, but has been restricted to just one appearance in the UEFA Champions League.

Who Could Play Instead Of Joan Garcia In Barcelona vs Club Brugge?

Barcelona can probably expect a tricky challenge in their next away game against Club Brugge in the Champions League. With Joan Garcia still out of action, that means Hans-Dieter Flick will need to keep trusting Wojciech Szczesny to hold down the fort in the goalkeeper position in the Barcelona vs Club Brugge clash.

Szczesny has acted as the Barcelona no.1 since Garcia picked up the injury, and has made seven appearances for the La Liga heavyweights in all competitions in the 2025/26 season. That included Szczesny playing in the El Clásico against Real Madrid, where he saved Kylian Mbappe's penalty but was unable to stop Barcelona from suffering a 2-1 loss. Even though the Polish goalkeeper is aware that he'll be restricted to the bench once Joan Garcia returns, he's at least poised to play against Club Brugge as he aims to get a clean sheet and guide the Blaugrana to a dominant win.