Barcelona will be able to claim Szczęsny for the Champions League. How did it happen?

Next week, Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny is set to become a Barcelona player. The former Juventus shot-stopper, who announced his retirement over the summer, will replace the injured Marc-André ter Stegen. It has now been revealed that Szczęsny will be eligible to play not only in La Liga and the Copa del Rey but also in the Champions League.

Details: According to Diario Sport, Barcelona has the opportunity to register Szczęsny for the Champions League, despite the official registration window for the tournament being closed. UEFA regulations allow clubs to register one additional goalkeeper if their primary option sustains a season-ending injury. This is precisely the situation with ter Stegen. The only condition is that the new goalkeeper must not have been previously registered with another club in European competitions.

Barcelona’s academy product Iñaki Peña, who serves as the backup to ter Stegen, will continue to hold the role of second-choice keeper for the team.

Reminder: Barça captain Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a severe knee injury during their 6th La Liga match of the season against Villarreal, which ended in a 5-1 victory.

Barcelona has won all seven of its opening La Liga matches this season. Head coach Hansi Flick has become only the third manager in the club's history to achieve such a start.

However, in the opening round of the Champions League, Barcelona lost 2-1 to AS Monaco, having played with 10 men for most of the match. On Tuesday, October 1st, Barça will face Young Boys in their second group-stage fixture.