According to SPORT, FC Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia is set to move straight to the top of the Zamora Trophy rankings this Saturday, as long as he plays against CA Osasuna.
The Spaniard will reach the required 28 league matches, each with at least 60 minutes played, to qualify for the award given to La Liga’s best-performing goalkeeper.
He will achieve this milestone in one of the most demanding venues in Spanish football: El Sadar, where no visiting goalkeeper has kept a clean sheet in the league for nearly two years.
A stadium where Osasuna always score
Osasuna have scored in 37 consecutive La Liga home matches. This run includes all 16 games of the current season, the entire 2024/25 campaign (19 matches), and two fixtures from the 2023/24 season.
The last goalkeeper to leave El Sadar without conceding was Rui Silva on 5 May 2024, when he played for Real Betis in a 0-2 win. Since then, every visiting goalkeeper has conceded at least once.
Chasing another clean sheet
However, Garcia arrives in strong form, having kept clean sheets in his last two league matches against Celta Vigo and Getafe. He has now gone 214 minutes without conceding.
Overall, the Barcelona shot-stopper has kept 14 clean sheets in 27 La Liga appearances, all of them full matches. If he adds another at El Sadar, he will claim top spot in the Zamora standings.
Zamora Trophy within reach. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
His current coefficient stands at 0.70 goals conceded per game, with 19 goals allowed in 27 matches.
The current leader is Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid, who has a coefficient of 0.86 after conceding 24 goals in 28 games. Courtois is currently injured but has already met the minimum match requirement.
Third place belongs to David Soria, who has conceded 34 goals in 33 matches for Getafe, giving him a coefficient of 1.03.
For Garcia not to end the matchday as Zamora Trophy leader, two scenarios would have to occur: either he does not play or fails to reach 60 minutes, or he concedes heavily. He has a margin of up to four goals to remain ahead and five to match Courtois.
Last season serves as a warning. Inaki Pena conceded four goals in a 4-2 defeat at El Sadar, a result that marked the first league loss under Hansi Flick. Garcia himself also conceded twice there last season while playing for RCD Espanyol.
This weekend presents a significant challenge, but also an opportunity for Garcia to confirm his status as one of the league’s standout goalkeepers.
