'Cat' Inaki Pena backed to thrive as Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's replacement

Inaki Pena is set for his first appearance of the season as Barcelona head to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga action this weekend.

La Blaurgana make the trip to the Spanish capital, on their return from the international break, with mixed injury news for Xavi in Vallecas.

The return from injury of Frenkie de Jong is a major boost for Barcelona but first choice goal keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen will not feature.

Ter Stegen returned early from international duty with Germany due to a back problem and the issue has not cleared up.

Despite concerns over how long he will be sidelined for, Barcelona are viewing the situation as a precaution, and Xavi confirmed Pena will start against Rayo.

The deputy stopper has not featured at all this season with Ter Stegen playing every minute of all 13 La Liga and four Champions League games so far in 2023/24.

However, despite the pressure of being thrown in at the deep end,  his former manager at Galatasaray, Domenec Torrent, has backed him to rise to the challenge.

“He is a cat, I have no doubt he will do well. He’s very brave and has good timing. He is a cat in the goal”, as per quotes from Mundo Deportivo.

“He gave me a lot of peace of mind at Galatasaray and I even changed tactics because of his impressive ball delivery.

“At Galatasaray, he had a lot of pressure, but he lived up to it when he played.”

Xavi will assess Pena’s performance against Rayo, and check on Ter Stegen’s recovery, before naming his Champions League squad to face Porto in midweek.