Joan García will sit out Barcelona’s trip to Sevilla after sustaining a knee injury during the Racing Santander match, manager Hansi Flick confirmed on Friday. The German coach revealed the medical team determined rest was necessary, though he stressed the problem is not serious.
García’s absence forces Flick to choose between Wojciech Szczesny and Dominik Livakovic for the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán fixture, but the Barcelona boss kept his selection close to his chest. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” Flick said when pressed on the decision.
Szczesny’s pedigree against Livakovic’s adaptation
Szczesny carries the advantage of experience and proven success at Camp Nou. Barcelona won La Liga last season largely due to the Polish goalkeeper’s performances, a point Flick emphasised repeatedly during his pre-match comments.
Yet the 57-year-old manager made clear that Livakovic commands respect within the coaching staff. “With Dominik Livakovic, we also have a top-class goalkeeper – that’s just the way it is,” he said, before pivoting back to Szczesny’s track record. “But we won La Liga with Szczesny; it was largely thanks to him. For us, he’s a fabulous goalkeeper with a wealth of experience.”
Flick addressed a recent costly mistake from Szczesny in the Racing game. The manager confirmed he had spoken to his goalkeeper privately, with Szczesny fully aware of the error. Livakovic’s recent pitch time gives him an advantage in one respect—he is further along in adapting to Barcelona’s tactical philosophy. “He’s ready to play, and that’s what we have to consider,” Flick noted. “But we always look out for what’s best for the team, not for one player.”
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Recovery and fixture congestion shape Barcelona’s planning
Barcelona return to Seville after losing at the same venue last season, but Flick insists his squad has progressed considerably since then. “I think we’re now at a different level to where we were last year,” he said. “But every match starts at 0–0 and Sevilla, especially at home, are playing very well.”
The upcoming fixture list weighs on Flick’s mind. Managing player workload and recovery has become central to maintaining Barcelona’s intensity across competitions. “We’re working on that every day. Recovery is a very important part of it and we’re managing our workload very well,” Flick explained. “We’ve got a lot of matches coming up and we need to keep recovery in mind.”
Gabriel Jesus may face rotation after resting against Racing, though Flick declined to confirm his involvement for Sevilla. Squad rotation will continue as a deliberate strategy to protect players from burnout.
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Adeyemi flourishes as Flick raises the bar on dressing room standards
Karim Adeyemi has earned praise for both his attacking output and character. Flick highlighted the forward’s work rate and respect within the squad. “He’s very quick, but I don’t know if he’s the quickest player I’ve ever coached. But he’s a good lad, a good person, and he has a lot of respect for the dressing room. Everyone loves him dearly. His performances make things easier.”
Flick remains unsatisfied with Barcelona’s collective standards, despite an improving trajectory. “To be honest, I’m not entirely happy with this at the moment because we’re only just starting the process and there’s room for improvement,” he said. “We always demand a lot and we need to improve things.”
Raphinha’s role as the pressing trigger has become integral to Barcelona’s defensive structure, even when operating as an advanced forward. “If you look at the last two seasons, we always started the press with the ‘number 9’. And he has that hunger, that drive and that attitude to start the press exactly as we need him to,” Flick concluded. “Not only is he excellent in attack, but he’s also excellent in defence. As captain, he leads the way and the rest follow him.”
