Hansi Flick Confirms THIS Defender’s Comeback Despite Broken Nose Against Celta Vigo

Barcelona suffered a frustrating setback in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League when they were held to a 3-3 draw by Club Brugge in their recent clash. It was a difficult game for the Barcelona defenders and a particularly nasty one for Eric Garcia, who ended up suffering an injury towards the end of the match. Here we look at all about the Eric Garcia injury and his chances of playing in the upcoming La Liga match against Celta Vigo. The question remains is Is Eric Garcia playing today?

What Injury Did Eric Garcia Suffer Against Club Brugge?

Eric Garcia started for Barcelona in the Club Brugge clash, but he was unable to do much to stop them from conceding three goals to the Belgian club. In the second half, Garcia was involved in a particularly nasty challenge in which an opposition player strongly connected with his nose to result in a nasal fracture for the Spanish defender.

Despite the Eric Garcia injury, he was able to fight on to finish the game, but he was clearly banged up after the game. Thus, he will mostlikely feature in the Barcelona vs Celta Vigo game. Now, Barcelona have given an Eric Garcia injury update to confirm his condition, as they released an official statement and stated on the Eric Garcia injury: “First team player Eric Garcia has a broken nose. He will wear a protective mask, and any potential involvement in the upcoming game against Celta de Vigo will be assessed.”

Could Eric Garcia Play Against Celta Vigo Wearing Face Mask?

The new Eric Garcia injury update means that the absolute worst of the fears around the Barcelona defender hasn't happened, and it's not like he'll miss a string of games because of his new injury. In fact, fans will now get to see the Eric Garcia face mask as the Spaniard will need to wear a protective element on top of his nose to ensure that it's not further damaged by any challenge against him in training or during matches.

Even though the Eric Garcia face mask has not been revealed yet, it's clear that the Spaniard will need to get one designed for himself to be able to continuously play matches for Barcelona. The Eric Garcia face mask will also make him the latest footballer to get aid from that protective material during matches, after popular footballers like Victor Osimhen, Kylian Mbappe, Josko Gvardiol, and Garcia's teammate at Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski, have all worn protective masks in the past to help them from facial injuries.

Eric Garcia has evolved into a very important player for Barcelona in the ongoing 2025/26 season. He has made 15 appearances for the Spanish heavyweights, including featuring in all their 11 La Liga matches so far. Even though the Spanish defender appears to be fit and available for the Barcelona vs Celta Vigo clash, granted that he wears the face mask, it will be upon Barcelona manager Hansi Flick to determine whether to risk playing the Spaniard against Celta Vigo or perhaps keep him on the bench for the match.