Barcelona defender Garcia leaves Spain squad after knee injury

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Robin Le Normand has replaced Eric Garcia in the Spain squad after the Barcelona defender picked up a knee injury.

Garcia did not feature in Spain’s thrilling win over England in their Nations League opener, with Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi starting at centre-back for Luis De la Fuente’s side.

The 25-year-old has featured in six of Barca’s eight games this season, with the Blaugrana making the perfect start to the 2026-27 campaign.

Garcia leads Barca defenders in tackles won this season (10), while he has won the third-most duels (21), completed the third-most passes (393) and recorded the fourth-most clearances (16).

Spain released a statement which read: “Atletico Madrid player Robin Le Normand replaces Eric Garcia in the Spanish national team camp, which is playing in the UEFA Nations League group stage.

“The Barcelona centre-back felt some discomfort in his left knee and after the tests carried out, it has been decided to withdraw him from the squad due to the proximity of the upcoming international matches, thus avoiding any risk and preserving the player’s health.”

El defensa internacional se incorpora a la concentración de la @SEFutbol. #VamosEspaña | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/qQFwRoxzQc

— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) September 28, 2026

Following their win at Wembley Stadium, Spain host Croatia and Czechia before a return fixture against the former in the remainder of this international break.

Spain are unbeaten in their last 39 matches, the longest such run among all European nations in all competitions (W30 D9).

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