The culés will not be able to count on the German goalkeeper for the match against the colchoneros.
If they want to follow in the footsteps of Girona and Real Madrid, FC Barcelona is obliged to beat Atlético de Madrid in Montjuic, although they will have to do so with a very important defeat, that of the German goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen.
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Why isn’t Marc-André Ter Stegen playing today in FC Barcelona vs. Atlético de Madrid from LaLiga 2023-24 and who is Iñaki Peña, his replacement?
Marc-André Ter Stegen did not play in the friendlies of the November 2023 international break with Germany, he was also absent on the visit to Rayo Vallecano, for matchday 14 of LaLiga (1-1), and he was even absent to face Porto received in the fifth day of the Champions League group stage (2-1).
Germany coach Julian Nagelsman surprised during the last international break in November by announcing that Marc André Ter Stegen would leave the German camp and return to Barcelona due to back pain that prevented him from training and playing.
An injury is never a good thing, but even less so when it is an absolutely fundamental footballer like Ter Stegen is for FC Barcelona. The German goalkeeper, one of the great figures of Barça’s League champions last year in which they won the ‘Zamora Trophy’, also played a key role in this start to the season, saving his team in several games of the season.
Since the team had lowered its level compared to last year, the German goalkeeper saved the furniture so as not to miss the LaLiga train.
Who is Iñaki Peña, Ter Stegen’s replacement
It will be the eighth time that Peña defends Barça’s goal, having played only five games with the Catalans in the 2022/2023 season (not all complete): two in the League, one in the Champions League and three in the Copa . from Rey. The sixth match was a 1-1 draw against Rayo last Saturday and the seventh was against Porto in Barcelona.
He was born in Alicante in 1999 and came to Barcelona from Villarreal in 2012 in the Children category. During his first season he won the League with the Barça team and repeated this during his promotions, focusing on the Youth League of the 2017/18 season.
His good level between the sticks ensured that he reached Barça ‘B’ in the 2018/19 season. Since that year, the player has alternated between the second and first teams depending on Barça’s needs, participating in the Copa del Rey title of the 2020/21 season. The following season, 2021/22, the goalkeeper decided to go on loan to Galatasaray during the winter market in search of minutes. When the loan was over, he returned and in the winter of 2023 he started to achieve a first-team record.
The 2022/23 season is a year marked by the debut of the Alicante goalkeeper with the first team shirt: on November 1, 2022, he defended FC Barcelona’s goal for the first time at the Doosan Arena, in the sixth match of the qualifying phase Champions League groups. His League debut will come at the end of the season, on May 23, 2023 against Valladolid at the José Zorrilla Stadium.
As Barcelona highlights on the official website, Peña “stands out for his safety and steadiness between the sticks. He has a good start in the aerial game and provides a lot of power, although he also stands out for making good starts by beating the rival for long to block.” He is also “It is necessary to mention his commitment as a leader and he has shown that from the lower categories. With the ball at his feet he has a glove on his right leg and a lot of patience when it comes to coming out with the played ball.”
Peña’s seven games with Barcelona
- His debut was in the Champions League on November 1, 2022, in the 2-4 win against Viktoria Plzen away from home. He played 90 minutes.
- His second match was in the Copa del Rey, on 4 January 2023. He conceded three goals to Intercity in a match that Barcelona needed extra time to win 3–4.
- Two weeks later he played his third match as a culé, in the 0–5 win over Ceuta.
- The fourth match with Barça was his debut in the competition: he played 45 minutes against Valladolid in the 3-1 defeat on matchday 36 of the 2022-2023 season, with the team having already sung the alirón. In that match he only conceded the third goal, the first two were received by Ter Stegen.
- His fifth appearance was on June 4, on matchday 38 of the domestic competition. It was a 2-1 defeat against Celta, but he only played the last 27 minutes and conceded the Galicians’ second goal.
- His sixth match was 1-1 in Vallecas at the end of November 2023. He played all 90 minutes.
- His seventh match was 2-1 against Porto at the end of November 2023. He played all 90 minutes.
In this sense, Iñaki Peña’s figures at Barcelona show that he concedes a goal every 61.2 minutes (9 in 551 minutes) and that he has kept just one clean sheet in seven games, recording four wins, one draw and recorded two defeats.
Source: Goal