Barcelona goalkeeper could be ruled out of contention for Zamora trophy

Barcelona are looking for their third consecutive victory in La Liga as they take on Granada, later evening.

Heading into the game, Barça were locked in a battle with the Competition Committee over Vitor Roque’s suspension. But while the Brazilian will remain suspended for tonight’s game, Barcelona may be boosted by the return of a star player.

The player in question is Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is hoping to start against Granada tonight after serving a few months on the sidelines.

Ter Stegen could miss out on Zamora trophy

However, there is no guarantee ter Stegen could return in goal for Barcelona, even though the goalkeeper appears to have recovered from his back problem.

Ter Stegen had picked up the back problem in mid-November and later required surgery. He has missed out on 10 league games due to his injury, with Inaki Pena serving as the backup.

In total, ter Stegen has appeared in 13 league matches for Barcelona this season, notably racking up six clean sheets and conceding just 13 goals.

Will ter Stegen finally return in goal vs Granada? (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)

Such numbers would usually put him in contention to win the prestigious Zamora trophy, which is given to the goalkeepers with the best goals-to-game ratio in La Liga.

It was ter Stegen himself who had won the Zamora trophy last season. But should he fail to appear against Granada tonight, he will be ruled out for the prestigious trophy this season, reports SPORT.

That is because a goalkeeper must play at least 28 matches in order to be considered for the Zamora trophy.

Ter Stegen, who has played only 13 matches so far, must, therefore, appear in all the remaining 15 league matches at Barcelona in order to qualify for the trophy.

But if the goalkeeper misses out against Granada, he cannot mathematically qualify for the Zamora trophy. His alternative, Inaki Pena, meanwhile, has been also ruled out, having played only ten matches this season.