Barcelona manager Hansi Flick revealed that he plans to start Joan Garcia in goal for the Blaugrana’s Copa del Rey Round of 16 tie against Racing Santander on Thursday.
The coach spoke at a press conference on Wednesday and was full of praise for Garcia’s performance in the Spanish Super Cup Final against Real Madrid at the weekend, and wants to carry over the momentum from Joan’s red-hot form into a big Cup match against the Second Division leaders.
“I think Joan will play, but we’ll see tomorrow.
“I’m happy with Joan García in goal; he’s ready to save anything that comes his way. It was a great final; we played a good match. We saw Real Madrid’s quality, and playing with one less man wasn’t easy. We’re glad they didn’t score a third goal. We have a very good goalkeeper who saved us on several occasions, including in the final. And we won 3-2. I’m very happy with what I saw in Saudi Arabia. The team is focused, and the atmosphere in the dressing room is great. But we have to keep working.”
Flick’s decision is not good news for Marc-André ter Stegen, who continues to struggle for playing time despite not changing his stance about wanting to stay at the club amid rumors of a possible exit in January. Ter Stegen has been warned multiple times about the need to play if he wants to start for Germany in the World Cup, but it’s becoming increasingly clear he won’t be playing much for Barça.
