As Barcelona begin their preparations for the upcoming home game against Celta Vigo, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will aim to keep his goal clean, especially against a certain Iago Aspas, who has proved to be his arch nemesis in the past, reports SPORT.
Ter Stegen, 31, has four clean sheets in six matches that Barcelona have contested this season. After winning the Zamora trophy last season, the German stopper has commenced this season at an exceptional standard.
For what it is worth, Barcelona have played three games at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys de Montjuic this season and the 31-year-old has kept a clean sheet in each one of them.
Celta have always been a headache
When Barcelona square off against Celta on Saturday, things will spice up as ter Stegen will face off against Aspas, a player who has scored a whopping nine goals against the German stopper, which happens to be the highest figure for any player against the Barcelona keeper.
Except for Real Madrid, Celta Vigo hold the distinction of being the team that has defeated Barcelona the most frequently since their arrival at Camp Nou nine years ago.
Over the course of 13 games, they have managed to score 22 goals. In these matches, Ter Stegen has kept only three clean sheets, with just one in the last seven encounters.
Aspas is more than just a headache
As far as Aspas is concerned, he has been the main protagonist of the Barcelona vs Celta story. In fact, such has been his influence that ter Stegen has not played three straight games against Celta without conceding a goal.
Furthermore, Aspas stands as the second-ranked player in any club within the league, except Real Madrid, against whom ter Stegen has the highest percentage of defeats (31%).
Good thing for the Barcelona stopper that the forward has gone through a goalless streak of 17 matches, encompassing the final 12 games of the previous season and the initial five of the current one, which happens to be a remarkable six-month goal drought.
