FC Barcelona announced on Sunday, 18 October 2026, the extent of two injuries picked up in the 5-2 win at Real Betis in La Cartuja, Seville, on Saturday, 17 October. Eric Garcia has a muscle injury in the rectus femoris of his right thigh, while Jules Koundé has a sprain in his left ankle. Garcia, 25, came on at half-time for Gerard Martín, scored in the 62nd minute and then left the pitch late in the match. Koundé, 27, started at right-back, played the full 90 minutes and finished the game with discomfort. The club issued one medical bulletin covering both players, and it said the progression of Koundé's sprain would decide his availability for the Clásico. On Garcia's recovery, the club's wording was specific.
“The recovery time will be between three and four weeks.”
Barcelona's timeline rules Garcia out of the Champions League match at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, 20 October, and the Clásico against Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, 25 October. He is also expected to miss La Liga matches against Deportivo Alavés and Atlético Madrid and the Champions League match against Aston Villa. The club's statement named no other injuries from the Betis match. Garcia has started seven of Barcelona's nine La Liga matches this season. The timeline also makes him doubtful for the matches before the November international break, and he could return for the match against Villarreal after that break.
Koundé is ruled out of the trip to Paris, and the club has left his Clásico availability open. Barcelona said the progression of the sprain will decide whether he plays against Real Madrid on Sunday, 25 October. Reports describe the ankle injury as less serious than Garcia's, though it is enough to keep him out of the Parc des Princes on Tuesday. His matchday status will depend on how the ankle responds in the coming days. The Clásico is scheduled for 21:00 at Spotify Camp Nou.
Gerard Martín, substituted at half-time at Betis, has no medical report attached, and he is expected to be available for the match in Paris. Andreas Christensen has been out since September with a left thigh strain. Hansi Flick has two available first-team centre-backs, Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín, and the full-backs Joao Cancelo, Xavi Espart and Alejandro Balde. Barcelona's winning run stands at 11 matches since the start of the season, and Flick now faces the reigning European champions without Garcia and Koundé.
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Barcelona confirmed on Sunday, 18 October 2026, that Eric Garcia has a thigh muscle injury and Jules Koundé a sprained ankle. Koundé will miss the Champions League match at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, 20 October, while Garcia is ruled out of the Clásico against Real Madrid on 25 October.
AI text based on reports by The New York Times, El Periódico, LaSexta and other publishers. Published .