Injuries have been a massive plague for FC Barcelona already this season. Barça are having to face off against tough opponents with a squad that is not fully available or at its best one game after the others. It has definitely taken its toll, but Barcelona have managed to stay afloat.
However, this situation felt much different last season. Any single injury to a key player almost spontaneously caused Barcelona to crumble. On the contrary, the Catalan giants have the depth required to counter that loss of key players this season.
As a result, the loss of certain players does not hit as hard in this campaign. Unfortunately, however, losing a key player is still far from ideal. According to SPORT, Marc Andre Ter Stegen still remains doubtful for the game against Atletico Madrid, as he struggles with back pain.
The German goalkeeper has represented Barcelona as captain on most occasions this season. However, he failed to be available in the recent training session as well ahead of the game. This marks the third game in a row that he will end up missing.
In his stead, Inaki Pena has had to take over the goalkeeping responsibilities. To his credit, the Spaniard has done a reliable job and feels dependable. Youngsters like Ander Astralaga and Diego Kochen are also available as backup and took part in training.
For now, it does seem like Ter Stegen is expected to fully recover. With Barcelona thinking it to be unwise to rush things, the German goalkeeper is given the rest to ensure no unwanted relapses.
Following this game, Barcelona will have a great deal of days off before their next clash against Girona. As such, it will allow Ter Stegen plenty of time to arrive back at his best. For the time being, Pena will have to keep defending the Barcelona goal for one more massive clash.
