Marc André Ter Stegen has worked for a long time in the shadows to enjoy this moment. But after more than seven months away from the field, he will once again put on his gloves to defend the goal of FC Barcelona in the upcoming match against Valladolid, corresponding to matchday 34 of La Liga, as announced by Hansi Flick in the press conference.

Ter Stegen will be a starter against Valladolid.

Ter Stegen had been training with his teammates at full capacity for several weeks. However, until he received medical clearance from the club's medical staff, Hansi Flick did not dare to include him in any matchday squad. His first call-up came against Real Madrid just a week ago for the final of the Copa del Rey, where he was able to lift the trophy as captain… despite not having played any matches in the competition.

Against Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, he could not be part of the squad, as Barcelona decided to remove him from the official list after the winter transfer window, as the expectation was that he would not return until next season. However, Ter Stegen managed to shorten the recovery time, and 223 days after tearing his knee against Villarreal, he will once again get minutes against Valladolid.

Will Ter Stegen play against Real Madrid?

Hansi Flick hinted at this possibility several days ago, confirming that he was feeling great about Ter Stegen, and ultimately, he has kept his word. “Yes, Ter Stegen will play tomorrow. Now we can end the press conference, we’ve got everything,” joked the German coach, showing the great atmosphere currently at Barcelona. “The performance of Ter Stegen in training has been fantastic. I have no doubts. He’s at a good level to play,” he continued.

This change in the Barcelona goalkeeping position comes at a time when some critical voices have started to point out that Szczesny has slightly dropped his level after conceding 11 goals in the last five matches. However, Flick assured that the return of Ter Stegen does not mean there will be a radical change in goal… with the match against Real Madrid on the horizon. “I’m not thinking about changing anything until the end of the season. We simply have the match against Valladolid, and he’ll play. I’m not planning on changing anything in the future. Although I could. We’ll see.”