La Liga 2026-27: Garcia, Christensen return for Barcelona’s Atletico Madrid clash, confirms Flick

File Image: Eric Garcia is available for Sunday’s clash against Atletico Madrid after recovering from a thigh injury. | Photo Credit: AFP

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick confirmed on Saturday that defenders Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen are available for Sunday’s La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid, providing a much-needed boost to the Spanish champion’s injury-hit defence.

The Catalan side leads the standings by two points over second-placed Atletico heading into the encounter at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.

Garcia, who has been sidelined since October 17 with a thigh injury, is fit enough to start, although Flick has yet to make a final decision on his inclusion in the starting line-up.

Christensen, meanwhile, returns to the squad after missing nearly two months with a similar injury.

“Both of them are in the squad for tomorrow so they will travel with us to Atleti,” Flick told reporters.

Barcelona has struggled with defensive injuries in recent weeks, forcing Flick to deploy midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Brian Farinas in unfamiliar positions.

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However, Jules Kounde and Xavi Espart remain unavailable, with the former expected to return after the upcoming international break.

Midfielder Rodri Hernandez is also ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury during Tuesday’s Champions League victory over Aston Villa and could miss up to a month.

Flick defended his handling of Rodri’s workload following criticism that the midfielder had not been rested sufficiently.

The German insisted that he had regularly discussed the Spain captain’s fitness and playing time with him, while acknowledging that decisions could always be reviewed in hindsight.

Meanwhile, Atletico striker Julian Alvarez, who was a transfer target for Barcelona during the summer, is expected to feature against the Catalan side.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone also praised Barcelona forward Raphinha, who has flourished in a central attacking role this season.

The Brazilian has scored 19 goals in 13 appearances across all competitions, emerging as a key figure in Barcelona’s attack.

Simeone described Raphinha as an exceptional player, highlighting his work rate, pace and goalscoring ability ahead of Sunday’s encounter.