Flick has chosen his goalkeeper for Barcelona’s Copa del Rey tie vs Guadalajara – report | OneFootball

In a few hours, FC Barcelona will start the defence of their Copa del Rey trophy with a Round of 32 clash against CD Guadalajara.

The Catalans, who won the trophy by beating Real Madrid in the final last season, will be eager to extend their recent winning momentum, having picked up five victories in a row.

However, there will be some rotations across the pitch, starting from goal, where Hansi Flick has already confirmed that Joan Garcia will not be starting.

It leaves Wojciech Szczesny and captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen competing for the starting berth for the cup tie tonight.

Szczesny to get the nod

And, according to Marta Ramon of RAC1, Flick has chosen Szczesny to be his starter for the cup tie tonight against Guadalajara.

With the Pole missing the weekend clash against Osasuna due to gastroenteritis, there was some hope for Ter Stegen to make his first appearance of the season after recently returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

No start for Ter Stegen. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

However, Szczesny has been able to train normally since Sunday, and appears all set to start tonight in the Copa del Rey encounter against the RFEF Primera Division outfit.

This is a clear message to Ter Stegen that he is now firmly the third-choice goalkeeper at Barcelona, with both Garcia and Szczesny ahead of him.

Flick has let his fellow German know that if he decides to stay at Barça in January, he would not play much, with his selection decision for tonight’s game further underlining that message.

The ball is now in Ter Stegen’s court and he must decide whether he leaves on loan in January in search of minutes or stays on the bench at Barcelona.