Eric Garcia Returns as Barcelona Name 24-Man Levante Squad
FC Barcelona are back on the road in Valencia just days after defeating Valencia CF 0-5 at Mestalla, this time travelling across the city to face Levante in their fifth La Liga fixture of the season. Barcelona have confirmed a 24-player squad for Sunday’s clash as the Catalans look to maintain their lead at the top of the table.
The most notable inclusion, as Barca News Network reported, is the return of Eric Garcia, who was unavailable for the Champions League win over Feyenoord through suspension. The defender trained with a protective mask ahead of the match and is expected to return to Hansi Flick’s starting lineup, although no final lineup has been confirmed.
Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji are absent as they continue to recover from injuries. Jesse Bisiwu is also not included in the first-team group and is expected to feature for Barcelona’s reserve side.
The 24-man group announced by Barcelona is broken down below by position.
| Position | Players Called Up |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Joan Garcia, Wojciech Szczesny, Dominik Livakovic |
| Defenders | Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martin, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Xavi Espart |
| Midfielders | Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Rodrigo Hernandez, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Brian Farinas |
| Forwards | Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Karim Adeyemi, Anthony Gordon, Gabriel Jesus, Hamza Abdelkarim |
| Injured (unavailable) | Frenkie de Jong, Roony Bardghji |
Barcelona confirmed the squad through an official social-media post ahead of kickoff. Garcia’s return is the principal change from the group selected for the Feyenoord match, while the squad otherwise provides Flick with options across goal, defence, midfield and attack for the trip to Levante.
