Ter Stegen is already here. In time for the Champions League, which was the goal that the goalkeeper had set for himself when he decided to undergo surgery. Far from having lost his position or from someone having opened the debate, Barcelona has missed the stops of its second captain. Come back to be 1.

The idea of ??the coaching staff is that on Sunday against Granada the lineup starts again with Ter Stegen. There will be exactly 10 days left until the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 in Naples. In addition to the game against Granada, the German will also have the Balaídos game on the 17th to gain rhythm and confidence after almost three months of inactivity before flying to Italy.

Marc-André ter Stegen has not played a game since November 12, against Alavés, precisely the last rival that Iñaki Peña, his replacement, has had. Just after that match against the Vitorians in Montjuïc, the German went to Germany to be called up for his national team. Without being able to play either of the two friendlies that the organizers of this summer’s Euro Cup had planned, the Blaugrana returned to Barcelona with lower back pain.

Ter Stegen, 31 years old, had just had a great season, conceding only 18 goals in the League that Barça won. Perhaps for this reason, he tried to improve with a conservative treatment in which he prioritized rest, which is why he was not in Vallecas or in the visit of Porto in the Champions League. Seeing that the evolution was not as expected, he ended up opting to undergo surgery on December 8. He put himself in the hands of Dr. Amélie Léglise in Bordeaux – to whom Marcos Alonso later also turned with a similar ailment.

His main objective was to return as soon as possible in the best conditions. The player, thinking about the Champions League and the most decisive part of the season, understood that he could not wait any longer to have surgery, and the deadlines set for his reappearance are being met perfectly. The goalkeeper’s feelings have been very good from the beginning of his recovery.

“He has made a textbook recovery,” revealed Xavi Hernández. Since January 26, Ter Stegen has already been doing field work with José Ramón de la Fuente, his trusted coach since he landed at the Camp Nou back in 2014. A readaptation in which there has been no trace of pain.

In addition to the medical discharge, which he will receive if there is no setback on Saturday, it will not be the only good news for Ter Stegen. On February 1, her second child was born, whom the couple named Tom. In December, Ben, the firstborn, turned three years old. Of course, now the goalkeeper must update his gloves, where the names of Ben and Dani, his partner, were inscribed on the wrist.

Since he stopped sharing the goal with Claudio Bravo – something that happened in his first two seasons at the Camp Nou – Ter Stegen has always been the lord and master of ownership at Barcelona. In the last seven seasons he has never played less than 42 games. Iñaki Peña, a 24-year-old youth player who had not debuted in the League, has had the role of replacing the starter, whom he considers his model. The man from Alicante has only been able to keep a clean sheet in three of the 17 games in which he has defended Barcelona’s goal.

Many times through no fault of their own – because the entire defense has been very insecure and unstable – they have conceded three goals in Antwerp, conceded four against Girona, Madrid and Athletic (two of them in extra time) and took five of Villarreal. Peña has experienced two eliminations (Cup and Super Cup).

Barça hope to recover the wall with Ter Stegen who stops 73% of the shots on goal, compared to 56% for the Alicante native. The rivals need four shots to beat the German. Also with the ball, the absence of the number 1 has been noticed. Although the success of the pass of both is equal (91% to 89%), the difference is notable in the success in sending to the opposite field, a tactic that the team use to get out of pressure. Ter Stegen has 58%, and Peña has remained at 36%. The goal regains its usual guardian, whom it renewed until 2028.