Setback for Marc-André ter Stegen’s World Cup Aspirations Amid Injury Woes

Marc-André ter Stegen’s aspirations for the upcoming World Cup have encountered a serious setback due to a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for an extended period, as confirmed by sources to ESPN.

Reports indicate that Ter Stegen, who is currently on loan at Girona from Barcelona, is awaiting the final test results regarding his condition. Both clubs are engaged in discussions to determine the best course of action moving forward.

Surgery has not been ruled out, and it is possible that he may be out for more than two months. One potential scenario includes Ter Stegen returning to Barcelona shortly after joining Girona in pursuit of consistent playing time to secure his position in Germany’s World Cup squad.

“I just heard the news,” commented Barcelona coach Hansi Flick during a news conference on Monday when asked about Ter Stegen’s situation. “I have not spoken with him, but I feel very sorry for him. We must await the results to see what happens.”

At 33 years of age, Ter Stegen has faced a series of significant injuries since Flick took over as coach of Barcelona in 2024, leading to him losing his starting position to Joan García. A knee injury limited him to only nine appearances across all competitions last season, and he missed the first four months of the current campaign after undergoing back surgery.

He made his return in the Copa del Rey against Guadalajara in December and joined Girona last month, where he started in the last two matches against Getafe and Real Oviedo. The German international, who has amassed over 400 appearances for Barcelona since his arrival in 2014, now faces an uncertain future regarding his World Cup prospects due to this latest injury.

In other news, Barcelona has announced that Raphinha will be unavailable for a week due to a thigh strain, which will exclude him from Tuesday’s Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Albacete and potentially from Saturday’s league match at home against Mallorca.

Raphinha had previously missed nine games this season due to injury and was also absent during the defeat to Real Sociedad last month as the club sought to manage his playing time effectively.

“I am not pleased with this,” Flick remarked about Raphinha’s recent injury. “He is a very important player for us, and we need to evaluate what changes need to be made, both by the team and him.”

The fixtures are coming thick and fast for Barcelona, beginning with Tuesday’s trip to Albacete, a second division team that has caused upsets against Real Madrid and Celta Vigo in previous rounds to reach the quarterfinals.

“This is precisely why we cherish these competitions, due to the element of surprise,” Flick stated when asked if the results involving Madrid served as a warning. “Albacete has nothing to lose and everything to gain. We need to analyze the last two matches to understand what they did well and what the opponents struggled with. It’s about our mentality and attitude as we approach the game.”