If Barcelona wants to kick off 2020 properly, they will have to do so without some of their best players.
Los Blaugranas will be playing for the first trophy of the season next week, when they make a trip to Saudi Arabia to play in the revamped Spanish Super Cup. The main problem for coach Ernesto Valverde is that he will not have one of his most reliable players around due to a knee injury.
That player is none other than goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen, who picked up an injury to his right knee. The team's medical staff believed that three weeks of rest would be enough to have the German shot-stopper around for the first games of 2020, but recent tests have confirmed that Ter Stegen will miss the clash against Espanyol on Saturday and the trip to Saudi Arabia.
Coach Valverde spoke about his player's fitness in Friday's pre-match presser.
"It's true, he's had a few problems in his right knee for a while. Leaving him out of Saturday's game was in the cards, as will be the case. But honestly, it will be tough to have him around for the Super Cup," Valverde said.
The Spanish boss went on further to reveal the extent of the injury, which may or may not see the player going into the operating room.
"I'm not a doctor, but we are not considering anything of the sort. We think that he needs to take time off to heal from this injury, nothing more," Valverde added.
Ter Stegen has played 23 games in all comps for Barcelona this season. The German footballer has kept seven clean sheets for Los Culés, and he's been able to hand out a couple of assists, which confirm how relevant he can be for the Blaugrana side. His place defending the net will be handed to Brazilian goalkeeper Neto, who will be making his La Liga debut with the Catalan club.
The Spanish tactician also confirmed that Ousmané Dembelé and Arthur Melo will not be playing either against Espanyol or in the Super Cup.
