Media reports have revealed the absence of a Barcelona player from his team's squad for the club's opening match in this season's UEFA Champions League league phase.
Barcelona will begin their Champions League league phase campaign with an anticipated match against Feyenoord on Wednesday, September 9 (details here).
The "Barca Universal" network, citing "Mundo Deportivo," reported that Barcelona will miss the services of their center-back Eric Garcia against Feyenoord due to suspension.
The source added that, according to UEFA regulations, any player sent off in a Champions League match is immediately suspended for one game, to be served in the first European competition match where the player is eligible to participate.
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Garcia was sent off during Barcelona's match against Atlético Madrid in the second leg of last season's Champions League quarter-finals at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
That match ended with a 2-1 victory for Barcelona, but Atlético Madrid advanced to the Champions League semi-finals with an aggregate score of 3-2 over the two legs.
The source clarified that UEFA has introduced a new modification to the yellow card rules for this season's Champions League, whereby a player will be suspended after accumulating four yellow cards instead of three as in previous editions, during the league phase.
It further stated that suspensions will subsequently be imposed in the advanced rounds if a player receives two additional yellow cards per round; for example, after receiving six yellow cards in total.
The rule regarding the cancellation of yellow cards continues to apply after the conclusion of the Champions League quarter-finals; however, if a player receives a second yellow card in the second leg of the quarter-finals, they will be barred from participating in the semi-finals.