Barcelona star absent from training before Espanyol clash | OneFootball

Barcelona remain without an important member of the club’s first-team ranks, amid preparations for this weekend’s Derbi Barceloní.

That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who point towards Eric García as the player in question.

Eric, for his part, has been sidelined since earlier this month, after being forced into a last-minute departure from the pre-match warm-up for Barcelona’s meeting with Sevilla.

The Spaniard was subsequently left out of Hansi Flick’s squad to face Bayern Munich in midweek, as well as last weekend’s drubbing of Real Madrid.

Upon the Blaugrana’s stars being put through their post-Clásico recovery session, though, Eric was spotted back amongst the group, giving rise to hope that he would be given the medical green light to face Espanyol this Sunday.

In turn, it has come as a surprise, on Wednesday, to hear of the former Manchester City man missing group activities once more.

As per a report from Mundo Deportivo:

‘Hansi Flick led a session in which Eric Garcia did not yet participate. The Martorell native has not yet completely overcome the physical problems he suffered in the warm-up for the match against Sevilla.’

Optimism nevertheless remains, though, that Eric, in the end, will be passed fit to feature in the derby.

Conor Laird – GSFN