Xavi fully trusts La Masia graduate who is set to start for Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid

In a little over 24 hours, FC Barcelona will play hosts to rivals Atletico Madrid in a high-profile encounter at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Montjuic.

But the Blaugrana go into the game without the services of one of the team’s most important players in the form of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Indeed, the 31-year-old has still not recovered from the back issue he has been dealing with in recent weeks, which has already led to him missing the Catalans’ last three matches.

And, Xavi confirmed in his press conference earlier today that Ter Stegen will miss the Atletico Madrid encounter, as he said: “He has been tested but he has a problem. He is not fit, he is ruled out for tomorrow.”

Xavi fully trusts Inaki Pena

With Ter Stegen’s absence confirmed by Xavi, Barcelona will once again start with Inaki Pena between the sticks when they face Atletico Madrid tomorrow night.

And, as per MARCA, Xavi fully trusts the 24-year-old La Masia graduate ahead of the blockbuster, high-pressure encounter against Diego Simeone’s men.

Pena made his first-team breakthrough at Barça last season, but opportunities have been hard to come by for the young Spaniard owing to Ter Stegen’s brilliance in goal.

But the German international’s recent back issues have opened the door for the academy product to get some minutes and he has earned the manager’s trust with his performances in the last two matches against Rayo Vallecano and FC Porto.

Pena impressed against Porto

While there were some iffy moments during the Rayo Vallecano encounter, Pena put in a solid performance earlier this week in a high-pressure match against Porto in the UEFA Champions League.

During the Porto clash, Pena made four saves, all from shots from within the box, while also displaying good ball distribution for the most part.

Set to start in another crunch tie for Barcelona, Pena must ensure that he is up for the challenge again so that his team does not miss Ter Stegen.