Barcelona are presented with the ideal opportunity to patch up their wounds and start afresh in the upcoming clash with Real Madrid.
As Barça will be looking to make a statement and reduce the eight-point deficit in the La Liga points table, first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be tasked with stepping up to the occasion.
Ter Stegen could set record in El Clasico
The German has kept six clean sheets in a row in La Liga, with a strong possibility of breaking his previous record of going 636 minutes without conceding a goal.
Now, for Ter Stegen to hold a new unbeaten record, he must avoid conceding in the opening 53 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ter Stegen has given up 17 goals in 21 league games while keeping 12 clean sheets.
Since returning from injury, the German international has been in good form and has played a part in Barcelona’s improvement in defence.
Ter Stegen has gone over 580 minutes without conceding La Liga, having kept a clean sheet in Barça’s last six league games against Getafe, Athletic Club, RCD Mallorca, Atletico Madrid, Las Palmas, and Cadiz.
And if he goes without conceding for the first 53 minutes of the Clasico, the goalkeeper will break his previous record of most minutes without letting in a goal.
Although the Catalan giants conceded a whopping four goals in their most recent defeat to PSG, complications surfaced largely because of the team’s reduced personnel.
And the team’s inability to maintain any semblance of control with 10 men on the pitch led to a good display by Ter Stegen going in vain.
Barcelona hoping to turn over a new leaf
Barça’s Champions League exit may have blemished their promising form as of late, but the team has been in good shape in La Liga.
Coach Xavi Hernandez was observed rallying his troops in the training session to lift spirits and use the Clasico as a means to give a strong response.
A win would narrow the point gap in the league standings and restore Barcelona’s winning momentum in these final stages of the campaign.
If Barcelona have any hopes of sealing the three points, the onus will be on Ter Stegen to rise to the occasion and potentially bag a new unbeaten record.
