Espanyol take special measures to protest Barcelona star ahead of fiery Catalan derby

After ending 2025 on a positive note, Barcelona will kickstart 2026 with the Catalan derby as they take on Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium.

It promises to be a special game for Joan Garcia, who will return to the RCDE Stadium for the first time since making a controversial move to direct rivals Barcelona last summer.

Joan Garcia is expected to receive a volatile reception from Espanyol fans, who did not take his decision to join Barcelona kindly and had even resorted to besmirching his murals.

Espanyol take special steps to protect Garcia

With anticipation of a fiery reception for Joan Garcia, Espanyol have taken special measures to protect the Barcelona goalkeeper, reports MARCA.

The report points out that the Catalan outfit will install special nets behind the goal in order to prevent fans from throwing any objects at the Barcelona star.

It appears Espanyol are determined to avoid any kind of controversy surrounding their fans’ treatment of Garcia and want the derby to pass without any issues being created at the RCDE Stadium.

Is Joan Garcia prepared to take on his former team? (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Espanyol, after all, are going through one of their best seasons in a long time, with the Catalan outfit currently sitting fifth in the league table with 33 points.

The club’s striker, Roberto Fernandez, sounded quite confident about Espanyol’s chances heading into this game, even though he did acknowledge Barcelona’s quality.

As for Garcia, the Spaniard has received some much-needed support from former Espanyol goalkeeping coach Inigo Arteaga. He has backed the Barcelona star to withstand the rowdy reception he is expected to receive at the RCDE Stadium.

What is left now for Garcia is to wait and see how things unfold, as the Barcelona goalkeeper gears up for one of the most defining matches of his short spell at the club so far.