Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are expected to return after the international break, but the situation is much less certain for Joan Garcia.
Barça's starting goalkeeper since his transfer from Espanyol this summer, Garcia underwent minor knee surgery following last month's victory against Real Oviedo. His absence is estimated at between four and six weeks. This makes him very doubtful for the trip to Santiago Bernabéu, but he seems closer than expected to his return.
Barça confident
According to Sport, Garcia is doing everything possible to be available for the Clasico. He and Barcelona are said to be optimistic about his return ahead of the match against Real Madrid on October 26.
Garcia will certainly miss the games against Girona and Olympiakos, but he currently appears to have plenty of chances to be available for Hansi Flick in the first Clasico of the season.
Another report suggests a possible absence of Garcia.
Interestingly, an article from MD states that Barcelona will not rush Garcia's return, meaning he will not play Real Madrid unless he is 100% fit. He has not yet been withdrawn from the Clasico, but it is expected that Flick will be forced to keep Wojciech Szczesny as goalkeeper.
It would be a big blow for Barcelona if Garcia was absent, given his impressive performance since arriving in the summer. However, Szczesny has a 100% record against Real Madrid since his time in Catalonia, so it wouldn't be a problem if he played in his place.
