Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick said Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be in the starting line-up for his side’s La Liga match against Real Valladolid on Saturday.
Ter Stegen has been sidelined since September, after he underwent surgery for the “complete rupture in the patella tendon” he suffered against Villarreal. He had played seven times in all competitions before suffering the knee injury. The 32-year-old returned to partial training at the end of March, with the club anticipating it would take several weeks before he was ready to return to the squad.
“Yes, Ter Stegen will be back in the starting line-up tomorrow,” Flick said at his press conference on Friday.
Barca academy graduate Inaki Pena, 26, initially deputised for the Germany international, before Wojciech Szczesny, 35, came out of retirement to sign a contract with the Catalan club until the end of the season. Flick said Szczesny became Barca’s “number one” in Ter Stegen’s absence, after Pena was late to team meetings on three occasions.
Flick previously said he would take Ter Stegen’s return “step-by-step,” and did not give a clear answer when asked if the German would succeed Szczesny and go straight back into the starting line-up. Szczesny has played in every match for Barca since January.
“Marc is on the right track, training fantastically, he’s at a good level and I don’t plan to change anything,” Flick said on Friday. “Marc will play against Valladolid and I don’t know if I’ll make any more changes.
“Everyone who is fit will travel to Valladolid. We need all the positive energy we can get. I’ve seen that in training.”
Barca are four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table. They face their Clasico rivals on May 11 in a potentially decisive match in the La Liga title race.
(Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)