Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed that captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen will return in goal against Real Valladolid. After a serious knee injury, ter Stegen has been out for the last seven months, but once again will wear the armband that the Nuevo Jose Zorrilla.
Ter Stegen went down against Villarreal in late September in severe pain, and was later ruled out with a ligament tear. However the German veteran has been back in training since the end of March, and just over a month later, Flick will return him to the starting XI. Last week he had declared that he could have a chance in La Liga, and Valladolid will be his chance.
“You listen well (laughs). Yes, of course. Marc will be back tomorrow. Can we finish the press conference now? (laughs)
‘I’m not thinking about making a change for the rest of the season’ – Hansi Flick
However it may well be that it is ter Stegen’s only chance. Flick went on to confirm reports that Wojciech Szczesny would continue in goal for the final month of the season.
“I think it’s good for goalkeepers to get a few minutes to recover, and that’s what it will be like for ‘Tek.’ Marc is on a good path and his performance in training is fantastic. I’m not thinking about changing anything until the end of the season… I mean it could happen. Marc could play at his level. That’s how things are. It’s just the game against Valladolid is for Marc, and I don’t have thoughts to change.”
How much will Hansi Flick rotate against Real Valladolid?
Flick was careful to highlight that La Liga was very much on the line, and that the Blaugrana were beaten by Las Palmas and Leganes, the other two teams in the relegation zone.
“Our goal is to win LaLiga. It’s a title you win after a long season, it’s the most important, and the most honest, and you have to play at your highest level. We don’t care if they’re in the Second Division next season; you can lose LaLiga in these kinds of games. It’s worth remembering what we suffered against Leganes and Las Palmas in the first half of the season.”
That said, many are predicting major rotations for Barcelona against La Pucela, given their Champions League semi-final return leg against Inter on Tuesday in Milan.
Flick is plotting many rotations against Real Valladolid. Héctor Fort, Christensen, Gavi, Ansu Fati and Pau Víctor could all start. @tjuanmarti
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 2, 2025
“It was proven against Inter that players like Kounde can get injured. We now have to listen to the medical team to determine which player needs rest. The most important weeks are coming, and we’ll obviously have to rotate.”
Flick also confirmed that he had not made up his mind on his starting XI at the Giuseppe Meazza.
“I can change a lot of things tomorrow. As a coach, you have to think about the next games too, but I live in the present. Tomorrow we have a game and we have to win it. If there’s a special player against Valladolid, that could change the starting lineup against Inter. I think I have six or seven starting players in mind for the return leg, but not the others.”
