Ter Stegen starts in Copa del Rey! Hansi Flick bets on the '1' in Guadalajara

Hansi Flick has given a vote of confidence to Marc-André ter Stegen for FC Barcelona's debut in the Copa del Rey 2025-26. The Catalan team begins the defense of the title obtained last season against Real Madrid against CD Guadalajara of Primera RFEF and will do so with the '1' in their goal.

The captain was already on the bench against Eintracht on matchday 6 of the Champions League and last weekend against Osasuna in LaLiga, after completing more than four months of recovery following back surgery at the end of July. Wojciech Szczesny, who was out with gastroenteritis on matchday 16 of the league, was being considered as a starter for the Copa del Rey round of 32.

Flick calms the waters in Barcelona with Ter Stegen's starting position

However, Flick opted for Ter Stegen, whose substitute role in Guadalajara would have represented a definitive sentence for his future at the club. The manager has made it clear that Joan García will be the starter for the rest of the season in the league and Champions League as long as he is healthy, while 'Tek' and 'Matts' will alternate as substitutes as long as the German remains in the squad.

For now, the coaching staff is calming things down regarding the possible departure of the captain in January, a sensible solution for both parties that is still far from being finalized. Marc-André, on the one hand, needs to play regularly to arrive at his peak for the World Cup, where he would be the number '1' in Julian Nagelsmann's German goal, provided he regains his best form.

Barça, for its part, prioritizes his departure to free up some of the salary cap represented by the 33-year-old goalkeeper's contract. Ter Stegen has a contract until 2028 and his salary is around 14 million gross annually. Therefore, the most viable option would be to negotiate a six-month loan to facilitate his departure in the market that opens on January 1st.

Ter Stegen Returns to Starting Lineup in Copa del Rey 986 Days Later

While the parties agree on the terms of his departure, Ter Stegen will take advantage of the Copa del Rey to gain minutes and confidence before the end of the year. The last time the German defended Barcelona's goal was on May 18, in Montjuïc against Villarreal (2-3)

That day, the Blaugrana team lost at home with the league title already secured. Last season, 'Matts' only played 9 games in which he conceded 11 goals due to a ruptured patellar tendon suffered at the end of September that left him in the infirmary for almost seven months.

In the Copa del Rey, the '1' had not been a starter since April 5, 2023, in the 0-4 defeat against Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou in the second leg of the semifinals. 986 days later, Ter Stegen is once again a starter in a tournament he has won on six occasions (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2025, the latter without playing any matches) since his arrival at the club.

•  👉Enjoy the latest news from the Copa del Rey 2025-2026 at FCBN.