Inaki Pena Faces Season's Toughest Challenge Against Borussia Dortmund

Barcelona's 24-year-old goalkeeper, Inaki Pena, is set to confront one of his most challenging assignments this season as he replaces the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the upcoming UEFA Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund. Pena has maintained clean sheets in two of his four Champions League appearances this season. However, he now faces Dortmund, the tournament's second-highest-scoring team, with 16 goals—just two fewer than Barcelona's 18.

Under the guidance of coach Hansi Flick, Pena has been entrusted as Barcelona's primary goalkeeper following Ter Stegen's injury. Despite conceding goals in the last five La Liga matches, he showcased resilience by keeping clean sheets against Young Boys and Stade Brestois in the Champions League. In total, Pena has played seven Champions League matches for Barcelona, conceding nine goals, with three of those in four matches this season.

Borussia Dortmund's offensive lineup, featuring players like Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Serhou Guirassy—each with four goals—and Karim Adeyemi with three, presents a significant challenge for Pena. Reflecting on the upcoming match at Signal Iduna Park, Pena expressed confidence: "All teams experience ups and downs; no team wins every game in a season. We know what we've done, and this empowers us to understand what we need to do moving forward. We aim to return to the level we displayed a few weeks ago, like in the matches against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Sevilla."

As Barcelona prepares for this critical encounter, all eyes will be on Pena to see if he can rise to the occasion and help secure a favorable result for his team.