Official: Barcelona captain ruled out of Spanish Super Cup after picking up fresh injury | OneFootball

In a massive blow for Barcelona, club captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen has picked up a fresh injury while training in Jeddah, ahead of the Spanish Super Cup semi-final.

The goalkeeper was training at Barcelona’s training camp, but the injury meant he would now return to Catalonia and has been ruled out of the Super Cup.

Barcelona confirmed the injury through an official statement.

“Goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen is leaving the Barcelona squad’s training camp in Saudi Arabia to return to Barcelona for medical tests,” Barcelona said in a statement.

Who will replace Ter Stegen?

The report adds that Barcelona have called up Diego Kochen to arrive in Saudi Arabia to replace the injured ter Stegen, the club confirmed.

“Diego Kochen, goalkeeper for the reserve team, will join the squad tomorrow,” the club said.

Ter Stegen has been ruled out of the Spanish Super Cup. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Kochen will serve as Barcelona’s third-choice goalkeeper. The American shotstopper has already packed his bag and is expected to arrive on Wednesday and become available for the semifinal against Athletic Club.

Why this is a blow for Barcelona

Ter Stegen’s fresh injury serves as a big blow for Barcelona, not in terms of sporting but financial reasons.

The club were hopeful of securing the German’s loan exit in the ongoing January transfer window, with Girona emerging as one of the interested parties.

However, his injury, soon after coming back from a long layoff, could be catastrophic for his chances of sealing a loan move in January.

This will hurt ter Stegen even more, knowing he might not be in contention for the FIFA World Cup 2026 if he fails to get any game time during the second half of the campaign.