Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin and Kounde: latest on their fitness

FC Barcelona

The physio room threatens to complicate Hansi Flick's plans. The German coach finished the match against Betis with two players who had been substituted due to discomfort, and a third defender who is also not in perfect condition. A situation that forces the coaching staff to pay special attention to how their players recover.

The coach of the Barcelona avoided ruling out any diagnosis regarding Eric Garcia and Gerard Martín, who were unable to complete the game. Both will have to undergo the corresponding medical evaluations to determine whether their physical issues are more serious.

Flick's stance was clear when he spoke to the media: “We have to wait for the medical results”. The coach wants to know the real state of his players first and believes it is essential to manage the squad's workload before returning to competition.

Eric Garcia is confident his problem is just a knock

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Among the affected players, Eric Garcia shows some optimism. The defender himself believes the issue he suffered against Betis could be limited to a bruise, although there is still no medical confirmation that would rule out an injury.

Flick passed on the player's feelings without taking anything for granted: “He thinks it's just a knock, but we have to wait until tomorrow”.

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Gerard Martín's situation is also not resolved. The defender had to leave the pitch during the match, and the coach preferred not to specify the severity of his discomfort until he has more information.

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To those two question marks is added Jules Koundé. The French international is carrying minor physical problems, as Flick himself acknowledged, so his condition will also need to be assessed before the next game.

With three defenders on the sidelines, the German coach has a limited margin to check how his players respond. “We have two more days and we'll see what happens on Tuesday”, he explained when referring to the availability of his squad.

Recovery will be one of the main issues the coaching staff will have to manage over the coming days. Flick also did not want to anticipate possible changes to his lineup and left a statement on how to deal with the situation: “We will look for eleven players”.