Wojciech Szczesny will have to wait for his Barcelona debut, which will not happen against Deportivo Alaves at the Mendizorroza Stadium on Sunday.
Barcelona will be eager to open up a three-point gap to Real Madrid when they lock horns with Deportivo Alaves at the Mendizorroza Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Hansi Flick has a new player in his squad ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Wojciech Szczesny has come out of retirement to join Barcelona as an emergency cover for Marc-Andre ter Stegen on a short-term contract. However, the veteran Polish goalkeeper is not in the travelling squad and must wait until after the international break for his debut.
Meanwhile, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Fermin Lopez, and Gavi remain on the sidelines. Inigo Martinez is fit and available, while Eric Garcia returns after missing out against BSC Young Boys because of suspension. Flick discussed Szczesny and the goalkeeping conundrum during his pre-match press conference.
The Barcelona manager said, “I think he is in very good shape, with his quality, with his experience he is a very good option. When I spoke to him for the first time I was very impressed. He told me: he was ready if we needed him. We think he will bring a lot to the table. Unfortunately he won’t be available against Alaves because he needs more time, but he will be available after the break.”
“I think that, for him, playing for Barça will be a wonderful experience. If he had any doubts, he would have said no to us. We will see how things go, how it goes in training. We have time to train with him. We are happy to have the player [Inaki Pena]. I think Szczesny is going to help him a lot. We are going to have more options and I am very grateful to the club.”
With Szczesny unavailable to take on Alaves, Inaki Pena will retain his spot in the Barcelona goal on Sunday. The backline should remain unchanged, with Jules Kounde, Pau Cubardi, Inigo Martinez, and Alejandro Balde retaining their spots.
As for the midfield unit, Eric Garcia should return to the starting lineup straightaway, lining up alongside Pedri and Marc Casado in the middle of the park. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the away side, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal completing the numbers in the offensive trifecta.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; Casado, Eric Garcia, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
