Hansi Flick confirms Barcelona's starting goalkeeper vs Real Madrid
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has on Saturday confirmed his plans between the posts for the club's upcoming showdown with Real Madrid.
This comes amid confirmation that, as expected, Wojciech Szczęsny will feature from the off in Sunday's Clásico.
Advertisement
The subject of the goalkeeper situation in Catalunya's capital has of course proven an increasingly prominent one over recent weeks.
This comes with the return to fitness of Barcelona club captain Marc-André ter Stegen having left the Blaugrana coaching staff with something of a decision to make.
Ter Stegen was afforded his first start since all the way back in September last weekend, against Real Valladolid.
When it has mattered most, in more high-profile fixtures, though, Wojciech Szczęsny has continued to act as no.1.
And this will remain the case tomorrow afternoon, when Barcelona lock horns with arch rivals Real Madrid in a crunch top-of-the-table La Liga showdown.
Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Hansi Flick confirmed:
'Szczęsny will start against Madrid.'
Conor Laird – GSFN
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
BVB star is Mr L1+🔼: The top Champions League players on paper
The 2024/25 Champions League season is history. Paris Saint-Germain has claimed the trophy for the first time. But who were the stats leaders of the entire season? Here you can see the kings of their craft at a glance. The Spider with the Most Saves Real Madrid may have been knocked out by Arsenal in the quarter-finals, but until then, Thibaut Courtois had already made 52 saves. One more than CL finalist Yann Sommer collected in three additional games. Clearances in the Penalty Area Marquinhos has experienced everything in his twelve years at PSG. He has seen many stars come and go. This season, the Brazilian was on a mission. Whenever there was danger in his own penalty area, he was ready with the fire extinguisher. BVB Star is Mr. L1+Triangle Nico Schlotterbeck delivered the most successful long passes. The BVB defender hits those long balls just as precisely on the field as on the console. Flying Dutchman, the Lord of the Air Luuk de Jong, with his aerial presence, kept PSV Eindhoven's plays alive last season. At 34, still soaring high. Duel Monster on Two Legs Nuno Mendes completely outplayed one or two superstars in the Champions League. Mo Salah or Bukayo Saka might still have nightmares about the duel monster from Portugal. Referee, hey! Cherif Ndiaye exited the CL group stage with Red Star Belgrade without a sound. However, he takes home the title for the most fouls won. The Gunners of the Champions League Following the motto "More is more," Kylian Mbappé, in his first season at Real Madrid, decided to shoot from all angles. He shot his way to the top of the players with the most attempts on goal. Master of the Through Ball The through pass is the king's discipline, and surprisingly, Atlético's veteran Rodrigo de Paul finished as the best in class. Tackling Machine from PSG At just 20 years old, João Neves played a significant role in PSG's title win. His tackling skills haven't been seen statistically since the 2007/08 season. Of course, the Parisian vacuum cleaner also had a few more games to achieve this. Unstoppable in One-on-One If your teammates leave you alone against Lamine Yamal on the wing, as a defender, you might as well give up. Barça's mega-talent sought and successfully completed the most one-on-one situations by a large margin. Have the Ball, Pass the Ball! Another Portuguese player topped this category. Vitinha played 1,294 successful passes in the past season. Joshua Kimmich landed in a respectable second place with three fewer games. That Xavi, a former protégé of Pep Guardiola, still holds the best record in this category despite fewer games (1,299 passes in 2012/13) speaks volumes. Tiki-taka. Most Passes into the Final Third For a change, no PSG player at the top. Bayern's Joshua Kimmich delivered the most balls into the final third to his teammates. However, this might not console him for missing the final in his own backyard. What Does Ball Thief Mean in Spanish? Fede Valverde was the most successful ball thief in the CL season 24/25. Real's bundle of energy stole the ball a total of 27 times. Head Waiters Among Themselves Barcelona's Raphinha created the most big chances. Closely followed by Joshua Kimmich. FC Bayern was generally well represented with Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala in third and fourth places. With better chance conversion, the final at home 2.0 would have been possible. Assist Hunter At FC Barcelona, Raphinha's groundwork was utilized a bit better. He not only provided the most assists. Top Scorers of the Champions League Serhou Guirassy was Dortmund's insurance policy in the Champions League. The BVB striker shares the title of top scorer with... of course, Raphinha. Were there any surprising stat leaders for you here? Feel free to write it in the comments! Advertisement This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 Justin Setterfield - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Michael Owen admits Premier League rival had him 'fearing for his career'
Michael Owen said that the Brazilian Ronaldo left him feeling as though he had "no chance" at the top level — despite Owen himself being one of the most prodigious teenagers England has ever produced. Advertisement Owen burst onto the scene as a teenager in the 1990s and went on to win the Ballon d'Or in 2001 after Liverpool won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup in the same season. His brilliance for Liverpool saw Real Madrid swoop in for him in 2004, where Owen became teammates with Ronaldo, a player he had previously marveled at when watching him on television. Owen appeared on talkSPORT this week and was asked to build his perfect player from his former teammates, and he chose Ronaldo as one of the players due to his speed. READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez latest as fourth target emerges READ MORE: Who is Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal? Liverpool linked with teenager also wanted by Newcastle Advertisement 'Ronaldo, he was just phenomenal," Owen said. 'There were a couple of players in my career when I thought I was decent and coming through, and thinking I was going to make it and turned on the telly and watched R9 and thought 'if that's the level I've got no chance'.' There were also mentions for former Liverpool players Robbie Fowler and Emile Heskey. Selecting Fowler for his brilliant left foot, Owen said: "Robbie Fowler, pure finisher, he struck the ball so neatly, just thuds it with loads of power, short backlift, great finisher and great left foot. "Some people are great at certain things, but Robbie was brilliant at virtually everything, he was just a natural finisher, he knew exactly where the goal was, he didn't even have to look." Owen chose Heskey for his strength, saying: "Emile Heskey was great, everything I couldn't do he could do, we just fit perfectly. Advertisement "He was unplayable for a couple of seasons for Liverpool, he was so strong, so quick, and scored a load of goals as well, I think people don't appreciate him enough." Owen went on to name Arsenal legend Thierry Henry as the best Premier League player of all time. The Frenchman made 258 appearances in the English top flight., scoring 175 times and registering 73 assists 'I got into the Premier League at 17 and won the Golden Boot and then won it again at 18,' Owen said. 'And then Thierry Henry came over and I looked at him and thought 'I'm never going to win one of those again.' Those players were just — wow, how do you compete?'
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Luis Diaz: Barcelona ‘Unfazed' by Liverpool Rejection, Revise Plan to Complete Signing
Barcelona are not concerned by Liverpool's refusal to negotiate over winger Luis Díaz, with a report in Spain revealing they are prepared to wait until late in the transfer window to boost their chances of an agreement. The La Liga champions have not hidden their interest in signing Díaz and it was reported earlier this week that they had approached Liverpool over a summer transfer, only to be met with a firm rejection. The Reds are not interested in selling for anything other than an enormous fee. Just a few hours later, Díaz sat in front of the media and confessed his agent has held talks with clubs across the globe, confirming he is looking for "what is best" for him. He did, however, stress his happiness to remain with Liverpool. MARCA state that Barcelona do not necessarily believe Liverpool's stance and instead see it is a negotiating tactic as part of their bid to extract a larger fee from either Barcelona or fellow suitors Al Nassr. Instead, they remain keen to sign Díaz and recognise that they could now be in for a lengthy period of negotiations to try and land a player who has been described as a priority target for Barcelona. Club officials have not given up hope but do have a long list of potential alternatives if they find themselves unable to convince Liverpool to sell. Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is high on the wish list and is thought to be keen to make the move. A recent report named Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli as a possible target if Barcelona miss out on both Díaz and Rashford. Those targets will remain in the background while Barcelona continue to work on Díaz. The Catalan giants hope his refusal to extend his contract, which expires in 2027, will ultimately force Liverpool to entertain bids late in the transfer window. READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS AND RUMORS FROM WORLD SOCCER Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
