Barcelona new signing rules himself out of starting XI for Clasico – ‘Wouldn’t put myself in his place’

When Wojciech Szczesny returned from retirement to join Barcelona, he was widely expected to become Barcelona’s preferred alternative for Marc Andre ter Stegen.

However, the Pole is yet to make his debut for Barcelona, despite featuring in the team squad in the last couple of matches.

He was an unused substitute in the games against Sevilla and most recently, Bayern Munich, with Barcelona still putting faith in Inaki Pena.

Szczesny won’t play against Real Madrid

As Szczesny waits for his Barcelona debut, the Pole, in a recent interaction with Eleven Sports, was asked whether or not he would put himself in the starting lineup for the upcoming Clasico.

Szczesny, though, confirmed that he won’t be featuring against Real Madrid with a vehement answer: “No.”

The former Arsenal goalkeeper was further asked about Inaki Pena, and how he hasn’t given Barcelona any reason to drop him from the starting position.

In response, Szczesny backed his teammate, claiming that even he won’t push for the starting spot under the current circumstances.

“We talked a lot. I told him that even if I was 100% fit at that moment, I wouldn’t put myself in his place, because I think that when the team is working well and everything is going well, you can only break it by making unnecessary changes,” he said.

This is not the first time Szczesny has backed Inaki Pena for his qualities, as he lauded the Spaniard a few days ago as well.

Szczesny added that he will wait for his opportunity to play for Barcelona and is in no rush to return to action.

“So I keep the opportunity to play for other times when I am in good shape and I give guarantees, which I can’t give today,” he said.

“The team is working well as it is and that is the most important thing for me,” the Pole concluded.