Barcelona new signing will face his biggest test at the club so far against Newcastle

The performances of Joan Garcia have been one of the highlights for Barcelona so far this season, with the young goalkeeper showing nerves of steel and not faltering under pressure.

This is despite the fact that he was made the club’s number one goalkeeper, ahead of veteran stars such as Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Wojciech Szczesny.

So far this season, Garcia has kept two clean sheets in four matches. His performance against Rayo Vallecano, in particular, was impressive as he made multiple saves.

However, Garcia’s resolve will be tested this week as he gears up for his debut in the UEFA Champions League.

Biggest test yet for Joan Garcia

At the age of 24, Garcia has already featured in 45 La Liga matches. But when Barcelona take on Newcastle on Thursday, it will be his first ever Champions League match.

Needless to say, the Spaniard will be under pressure to perform, knowing Newcastle United have a potent frontline led by new signing Nick Woltemade.

Although Hansi Flick already has special plans to stop Woltemade, Garcia needs to be alert against a Newcastle attack that also boasts the services of Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga, among others.

Fortunately for Barcelona, Garcia has stepped up whenever required this season, with the Spaniard notably boasting an impressive save percentage of 84.6%.

Garcia’s save percentage, in fact, is among the highest in the league, with the former Espanyol star trailing only Pau Lopez, Thibaut Courtois and Sergio Herrera.

It will also be interesting to see how well the young goalkeeper manages to adapt to Barcelona’s high line of defending and whether or not he can efficiently play the role of sweeper.

All in all, the coming few days will be tense for Garcia as he looks to make a solid impression on his Champions League debut this midweek.