Real Madrid News
Rival watch: Barcelona new signing set to miss Real Madrid clash after injury
In exactly a month, Real Madrid play hosts to bitter rivals FC Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the 2025/26 season – the first of the Xabi Alonso era.
Leading up to the match, both teams are dealing with injury issues.
Los Blancos are set to be without Trent Alexander-Arnold and Antonio Rudiger for the game while the current La Liga champions had lost Gavi for the game.
Joan Garcia also out
Now, Barcelona have been dealt another injury blow as new signing Joan Garcia will also miss the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu next month.
The 24-year-old goalkeeper suffered a meniscus tear during training earlier today and is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Saturday, the Catalans confirmed via an official statement.
𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗗𝗢 𝗠𝗘́𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗢
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) September 26, 2025
El jugador 𝗝𝗼𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮 sufre una rotura del menisco interno de la rodilla izquierda. Mañana se someterá a una intervención para realizarle una artroscopia a cargo del Dr. Joan Carles Monllau. El tiempo aproximado de baja es de 4 a 6… pic.twitter.com/IxQpTJC8rk
“The player Joan Garcia suffers a tear of the internal meniscus in his left knee. Tomorrow he will undergo arthroscopy surgery performed by Dr. Joan Carles Monllau,” the statement read.
As part of the statement, Barça also specified that the former Espanyol star will be out for a period of four to six weeks.
With the Clasico set to take place in exactly a month’s time, Garcia is now expected to be unavailable for the big game against Real Madrid.
This comes as a major blow for Barcelona, considering that their new signing had become an important player already and helped them out of some tricky situations in games against Rayo Vallecano and Newcastle United.
Real Madrid opted to renew Antonio Rudiger’s contract this past summer to keep him at the club for one more season.
The 33-year-old veteran defender, though, has not been performing at his best, with physical problems taking their toll and age starting to catch up with him.
As such, the expectation is that Los Blancos will not extend his contract again when his current one expires on 30 June 2027.
Tottenham eye Antonio Rudiger
And, according to reports relayed by AS, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a free-transfer swoop to sign Rudiger in the summer of next year.
The north London club are understood to be keen on reinforcing their backline next year and see the German defender as an option, given his experience in the Premier League and the fact that he would be available for free in the summer.
So far this season, Rudiger has played only five games for Real Madrid, amounting to a total of 396 minutes.
The 33-year-old has even chipped in with two goals, including the all-important winner in the 4-3 comeback victory over AS Roma on Wednesday night.
Time to move on?
Despite Rudiger being a hugely respected figure in the Real Madrid locker room, he is currently the third-choice centre-back for Jose Mourinho.
After all, summer signing Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen have been preferred by the manager so far in the new season.
Moreover, with Eder Militao set to return imminently after a lengthy injury layoff, Rudiger’s game-time could be impacted further.
Given the situation and factoring in Real Madrid’s plans to sign another centre-back next summer, it is pretty much evident that Rudiger does not feature in the club’s plans for beyond this season.
As such, a separation of ways seems pretty likely when his contract expires, and Tottenham are now positioning themselves as early suitors to sign Rudiger as a free agent in 2027.
