Flick places trust in back-ups after Garcia injury
Hansi Flick said both Dominik Livakovic and Wojciech Szczesny are capable deputies after Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia was sidelined with a knee injury.
Garcia was replaced by Szczesny at half-time in the midweek 7-2 rout of Racing Santander in LaLiga after experiencing discomfort in his right knee.
He was subsequently left out of Luis de la Fuente's Spain squad for its upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against England, Croatia, which it will face home and away, and Czechia.
Garcia will miss Sunday's (AEST) trip to Sevilla and use the extended international break as recovery time, with the aim of being back for a challenging run of fixtures in October, which includes a UEFA Champions League clash with holder Paris Saint-Germain and the first Clasico of the season versus Real Madrid.
In the meantime, Flick must choose between Livakovic, who joined from Dinamo Zagreb in August, and Szczesny, who previously made 30 appearances for the Blaugrana in 2024-2025 but did make a huge error for Racing's second goal when he was caught in possession in his own goalmouth.
"We spoke with him and the medical team about the discomfort he had. It's nothing important, but he needs to rest," Flick said of Garcia.
"It is very important to have quality in this position. With Dominik Livakovic, we have a goalkeeper of a very good level.
"About Tek [Szczesny], if you look back, we won the league with him, and he was responsible for it. For us he is a fabulous goalkeeper."
Asked which of the duo would play against Sevilla, he said: "You know that I never talk about the decision the day before. You'll have to wait."
Barcelona's 100 per cent start to the LaLiga season through six matchdays has been mostly down to its stunning performances at the sharp end of the pitch, where it has scored 28 goals so far this season.
But Sevilla will be no pushover, having earned 13 points from its first six LaLiga games this season, winning four do them, and sitting fifth after a 1-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna in midweek.
