Wojciech Szczesny to make Barcelona debut after international break

Barcelona's newly signed goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will not make his debut against Deportivo Alaves on Sunday (October 6). The 34-year-old will only be available for selection after the international break, manager Hansi Flick said on Saturday.

Sreejith CR

First Published Oct 6, 2024, 4:55 PM IST | Last Updated Oct 6, 2024, 4:55 PM IST

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The Catalan giants signed Szczesny as a free agent last month after Marc Andre ter Stegen suffered a horrific knee injury, which will keep him out of action for around eight months. The Polish goalkeeper came out of retirement to sign a one-year deal with Blaugrana.

"Szczesny is in good shape and with his experience, character and quality I think he is the very best option for the club. It's very good to have him, he will help us a lot but he is not with us against Alaves," Flick said.

Barcelona will play away to Alaves on Sunday, aiming to take three point lead over the chasing pack. Flick side are currently occupying top spot in the La Liga table, having collected 21 points from 8 games, level on points with second-placed Real Madrid, who have played a game more.

"I am sure after the international break Szczesny will be an option for us. For him also, to play for Barca will be great. We will see how he is doing in training, we have a lot of time," The German tactician added.

Barcelona suffered a 4-2 defeat away to Osasuna last weekend, and it was their first La Liga loss of the season. Flick has said his decision to rest couple of key players at El Sadar had an impact as Los Rojillos took a 2-0 lead in the first-half.

Although the German tactician tried to turn things around by introducing the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the second-half, the hosts netted two more goals and secured all three points.

"It's normal to get angry, everyone wants to play more. Those changes had to be made. It's a decision that they have to accept and they did," Flick said.

"Lamine Yamal complained that he wasn't receiving many balls, but now he can work on fixing that. We have to avoid the many mistakes we made at Osasuna. We need to have more control and possession. It is going to be a high intensity game at Alaves."

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