Barcelona veteran could make his first appearance of the season in Copa del Rey tie vs Guadalajara | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have welcomed club captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen back to the squad after he spent months on the sidelines due to a back surgery he underwent in the summer.

The 33-year-old German international made his comeback against Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this week, featuring as the substitute goalkeeper on the bench along with Wojciech Szczesny.

Hansi Flick has made it clear that Joan Garcia remains his preferred starter in goal, and as things stand, Szczesny is the No. 2, leaving Ter Stegen as the third choice.

But the Polish shot-stopper has been ruled out of today’s contest vs Osasuna due to gastroenteritis, which means Ter Stegen, who has been named in a La Liga matchday squad for the first time this term, has been bumped up to second choice.

Ter Stegen could start against Guadalajara

And, according to SPORT, Ter Stegen could be in line to make his first appearance of the season next week in the Copa del Rey.

First appearance of the season awaits? (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Barcelona kickstart their journey in the Round of 32 of the cup competition with an away tie against RFEF Primera Division side CD Guadalajara.

And in case Szczesny fails to recover from his ailment, it could open the doors for Ter Stegen to get minutes and feature in his first game of the 2025/26 season.

The German international has not played a single game for Barcelona since 18 May, when he started against Villarreal in the penultimate La Liga match of the 2024/25 campaign.

Following that, he featured for the German national team in June in the UEFA Nations League before having to undergo surgery in the summer that kept him sidelined until recently.

It will be interesting to see whether Ter Stegen gets an opportunity against Guadalajara come next week or whether Szczesny recovers in time to take his place in the starting XI, with Joan Garcia very much likely to be rested.