Ter Stegen set for Barcelona return at Valladolid
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will return to action against Real Valladolid in LaLiga this weekend, having been absent for seven months after undergoing knee surgery.
The 33-year-old suffered a complete tear of a tendon below his right kneecap in September.
In his absence, Barca turned to Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who came out of retirement in October to sign as a free agent.
The captain’s availability is a major boost for Barcelona, which leads LaLiga with 76 points, four clear of defending champion Real Madrid with five games remaining, including a Clasico at home.
"He is well, Marc will be back tomorrow," head coach Hansi Flick said.
"It will also be good for Szczesny to rest too. Marc is training very well, and can play at this level.
Asked if Ter Stegen will be in goal for the remaining games of the campaign, Flick said: "I'm not thinking about changing anything until the end of the season. But it can change, after Valladolid, we will see what happens."
Since Ter Stegen joined Barca, he has played 420 games for the club and kept 174 clean sheets.
Jan Oblak (221) and Manuel Neuer (178) are the only goalkeepers from Europe's top five leagues to better that latter figure during that time in all competitions.
Barca will have had fewer than 72 hours to recover before the match, after a thrilling 3-3 UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg draw with Inter Milan in midweek.
Bottom club Valladolid saw its relegation from LaLiga confirmed last week, while Barca hammered it 7-0 in the reverse fixture in August.
It has just four wins this season and the league’s worst defensive record, conceding 81 goals in 33 games.
"The attitude should be the same level as Wednesday against Inter Milan," Flick said.
"It doesn't matter where Valladolid are playing next season, they are right now playing in LaLiga and we respect them. Also, you can lose the title from these matches.
"In the first part of the season, losses against Leganes and Las Palmas [held us back]. We suffered, so the team know how important this match is."
