FC Barcelona have had to contend with a number of injuries in recent weeks. Since the beginning of the 2025/26 season, this has been an issue the club has faced, especially with regard to key players.
It is a testament to the squad depth and Hansi Flick’s managerial skills that Barcelona have remained competitive and are just three points behind Real Madrid in the La Liga title race, despite it being early days.
According to [SPORT](https://www.sport.es/es/noticias/barca/joan-garcia-vuelve-echar-cerrojo-123795425), Barcelona star Joan Garcia has made a full recovery from injury and, after missing nine games, is expected to start against Athletic Bilbao on 22 November, barring any last-minute setbacks.
The Spanish goalkeeper underwent arthroscopic surgery for a [meniscus injury](https://semprebarca.com/official-barcelona-star-suffers-knee-meniscus-tear-ruled-out-for-4-6-weeks/) and, in his absence, the defensive numbers have taken a hit. From conceding just five goals in seven games with him in goal, the team has conceded seventeen in nine matches since.
Joan’s return will undoubtedly help Barcelona tighten up defensively. He not only has a better save percentage than Wojciech Szczesny, but he is also more adept at playing as a sweeper-keeper and concedes fewer chances than the Pole.
Everything points to Joan returning to the starting XI, and the hope is that his injury issues are behind him. The last thing a team wants is for their starting goalkeeper to be injury-prone. Barcelona have already experienced that once with Ter Stegen.
Let us hope Joan can pick up where he left off, and we will have to wait and see how he fares against Athletic Bilbao, hopefully at the Spotify Camp Nou.