Just in: Barcelona defender ruled out of Bayern Munich clash

Barcelona defender Eric Garcia has been ruled out of the upcoming UEFA Champions League match against Bayern Munich, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Garcia, who was unable to feature in Barcelona’s 5-1 win against Sevilla due to discomfort in his right adductor muscle, will also miss Wednesday’s crucial tie. The injury surfaced during the warm-up, forcing him to withdraw from the starting lineup.

Garcia, who has transitioned into a midfield role under Hansi Flick, is now focusing on making a possible return for the highly anticipated El Clasico clash against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Barcelona’s medical team is working diligently to get him fit for the match, although no final decision has been made about his availability.

Bad luck in the Champions League

It must be noted that after being sent off in Barcelona’s first match of the group stage against Monaco, he was suspended for the second match against Young Boys.

Now, he will miss the third match due to injury, which leaves Barcelona without key options, as Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Ferran Torres, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Marc Bernal are also sidelined.

Meanwhile, it must be noted that Ansu Fati filled Garcia’s spot against Sevilla, but for the Bayern Munich encounter, another replacement is expected.

Frenkie de Jong is a likely candidate to step in, provided he recovers from the discomfort that kept him out of the Sevilla match.

Other potential options include Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Pablo Torre or even Gavi. However, each of these players has recently returned from injury and lacks full match fitness.

Barcelona’s medical team will need to carefully manage their playing time, especially in such a demanding fixture.