Joan Garcia faces double test as Barcelona host Aston Villa in Champions League
Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia will look to put a late setback behind him and help end his side's Champions League run without a clean sheet when Aston Villa visit Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday. The match is Barcelona's fourth in the league phase of the competition, with the Spanish side having conceded six goals across their opening three games.
They have yet to prevent an opponent from scoring in this season's Champions League. According to Sport, Garcia's challenge is twofold.
He is seeking a response after conceding in the final moments of Barcelona's victory over Alaves, while also attempting to bring an end to the sequence of European matches in which his net has been breached. Garcia has generally produced strong performances since becoming Barcelona's goalkeeper.
He has also impressed with his awareness and speed when coming out of his area to deal with balls played behind the defensive line. Barcelona's defensive record has also been inconsistent in La Liga.
The team have kept only four clean sheets in 11 league matches, with three of those coming during the opening four rounds. Since 9 September, manager Hansi Flick's side have managed to keep a clean sheet in just one match.
That came against Getafe at Spotify Camp Nou. Speaking to Sport 3 after the win over Alaves, Garcia admitted that the manner of the goal left him feeling disappointed despite the comfortable result.
"All goalkeepers will tell you the same thing: they want to keep clean sheets," he said. "But in the end, we know that the most important thing is to win.
It is better to do that without conceding, but the priority is to take all three points." Barcelona have conceded at least once in each of their past 18 Champions League matches. Their last clean sheet in the competition came in the first leg of their quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of April 2025.
The club also failed to keep a clean sheet in any European match they played last season.