Barcelona are preparing to be without first choice goal keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen for their crunch La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid.
Ter Stegen has missed Barcelona’s last two games after returning to Catalonia with a back injury he picked up on international duty with Germany last month.
The club have been opting for major caution over Ter Stegen’s recovery as they try to avoid rushing him back from a troublesome issue.
His expected return date has been consistently pushed back, with Inaki Pena covering in his absence, and he looks set to miss out against Atletico.
As per reports from Marca, Ter Stegen did not join Barcelona’s final full training session ahead of the game, sparking fears he will be ruled out.
Ter Stegen has been training alone ahead of the match, but there has been little progress, with no reduction in pain for the 31-year-old.
If Pena starts again, it will be the first time in his career the La Masia graduate has started three first team games for Barcelona.
