THE ONE FROM MARTORELL STILL AWAY FROM THE GROUP
Problems for Barça: Eric García, almost ruled out for the derby against Espanyol
Published:1/11/2024 - 16:09h
Updated:2/11/2024 - 05:35h
Eric García still has not overcome the discomfort in his right abductor that he has been suffering from for almost two weeks. The one from Martorell continues training outside the group and is a serious doubt for the Barça-Espanyol
FC Barcelona could add a new loss for the first Catalan derby of the season, on Sunday in Montjuïc against Espanyol (16:15). Eric García continues to have discomfort in his right abductor and, throughout the week, he exercised with difficulty outside the group.
Although the man from Martorell had left a good feeling in practice on Sunday, along with the substitutes from the Classic, he was not able to train alongside his teammates on Wednesday when he returned to work.
The '24' was not part of Friday's practice either, so it is very likely that, like against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, he will be left out of Hansi Flick's squad. In the best of cases, he would be available for the visit to Red Star, on Wednesday in the Champions League.
Eric's muscle discomfort began in the warm-up prior to Barça-Sevilla, on Sunday, October 20. García would have started that day, but he had to go to the stands due to a puncture that, although it did not require sending him directly to the Barça infirmary, has prevented him from training normally in the last two weeks.
Hansi Flick calls Andrés Cuenca anticipating the loss of Eric García
Anticipating the absence of Martorell in the derby, Hansi Flick added Andrés Cuenca to Friday's session. The 17-year-old defender has been called up by the German coach in 4 League matches (Rayo, Villarreal, Getafe and Osasuna), in addition to the Champions League matches against Monaco and Young Boys, coming on in the 84th minute against the Swiss.
Likewise, the defender has been important for Barça Atlètic, starting in 9 of the 10 games played by the reserve team in the Primera RFEF. Cuenca has been a regular face in the first team's training sessions and will probably be on the bench against the 'periquito' team if, in the end, Eric García also fails to be part of Saturday's training session, the last one before the derby in Montjuïc.
