What does Szczesny's return to Dortmund mean? Find out here

Published:15/04/2025 - 01:26h

Updated:15/04/2025 - 01:27h

Tuesday's Dortmund-Barça match will be a special game for Wojciech Szczesny. The Polish player will return to the stadium where he retired in June 2024, before the call from Barcelona

Wojciech Szczesny will once again start for FC Barcelona this Tuesday against Borussia Dortmund. The Polish player has 22 appearances with the 'culés' this season, without defeats and with an average of 0.81 goals conceded per match (18), in addition to 12 clean sheets. The visit to Signal Iduna Park will be very special for the 34-year-old goalkeeper, as it was in that stadium where he ended his career in mid-2024.

It was on June 25th, for Poland's third and final match in the European Championship (1-1 against France), when Szczesny decided to hang up his gloves, after his contract with Juventus ended. The Warsaw native did not receive offers from any elite club and ended his career after 16 seasons with Arsenal, Roma, and Juve. However, everything would change at the end of September, when Barça had to go to the market to cover the loss of Marc-André ter Stegen.

'Tek' signed for one year, until the end of 24-25, with the intention of lending a hand to Hansi Flick's team. Although he was in very good physical condition, the coaching staff preferred to preserve him until January, as Iñaki Peña's good performances in La Liga and Champions League gave the team peace of mind. After his debut in the Cup, the Polish player kept the starting position in the Spanish Super Cup thanks to a disciplinary punishment for the Alicante native.

Szczesny maintains a positive balance against Dortmund

For now, Szczesny maintains a positive balance against Dortmund in the Champions League. The goalkeeper has played 6 matches against the Germans, with a balance of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses. In those matches, he added two clean sheets and 6 goals conceded. His last visit to Signal Iduna Park ended with a 2-3 victory for Barcelona, but 'Tek' was a substitute that day.

The last time the experienced Barcelona goalkeeper started in the Westfalenstadion, at club level, was on September 16, 2014, on the first matchday of the 14-15 group stage. Wearing the Arsenal shirt, Szczesny conceded two goals from Ciro Inmobile and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, in a match that ended 2-0 in favor of the Germans. In the last European Championship, the France-Poland match in Dortmund ended in a draw with goals from Kylian Mbappé and Robert Lewandowski, both from penalties.