A major surprise in Barcelona’s squad to face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final

Hansi Flick has announced Barcelona’s squad for tomorrow’s Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid at La Cartuja Stadium, Saturday, April 26.

Barcelona is seeking to continue its impressive run this year by winning the Copa del Rey, while Real Madrid is keen to win it to heal its wounds and reconcile with its fans after its bitter elimination from the Champions League.

The squad included a surprise return to action with Marc-Andre ter Stegen. After weeks of training with his teammates, the German goalkeeper was given the all-clear on Friday and called up to the squad for the Copa del Rey match against Real Madrid.

The goalkeeper has not played since September 22, the day he suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee during a match against Villarreal, and all expectations are that he will be benched at La Cartuja due to his lack of competitive fitness.

Ter Stegen’s return is positive news for Barcelona ahead of the Copa del Rey final, but the Catalan side will be without Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde. Both have yet to recover from muscle injuries and were left out of the squad for the match against Real Madrid, making them important absences for Hansi Flick’s plans.

The injured duo of Marc Casado and Marc Bernal will also be absent from the match, as they continue their recovery program outside the group.

Here is Barcelona’s full list:

Goalkeepers: Szczesny, Ter Stegen, Iñaki Peña

Defense line: Iñigo Martinez, Pau Coparsi, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Gerard Martin, Hector Fort, and Christensen

Midfield: Pedri, Gavi, Olmo, Eric Garcia, Fermin Lopez, Pablo Torre and Frenkie de Jong

Attack line: Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati and Pau Victor