Hansi Flick punished one Barcelona player by dropping him against Athletic Club | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to take on Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup semifinals, as both teams aim to outwit each other and secure a place in the final, hoping to win their first silverware of the season.

Hansi Flick named quite a strong starting XI for the game against the Basque side, with the only major surprise being in goal, where Polish shot-stopper Wojciech Szczęsny is set to start between the sticks at the expense of Iñaki Peña.

With FC Barcelona seemingly taking the Spanish Super Cup seriously, one might have expected the Spaniard to start this game, given that he has been Hansi Flick’s first-choice goalkeeper since club captain Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury.

it has now emerged that Peña was initially supposed to start the game. According to journalist Helena Condis, the 25-year-old Spaniard was punished for arriving late to the morning’s activation session, prompting this response from the German coach.

It has also been reported that, while Flick understands the delay was due to a timing mistake, he wanted to send a clear message that a lack of punctuality will not be tolerated, regardless of the importance of the game ahead.

This means that Iñaki Peña missed a valuable opportunity to start a knockout game against a side like Athletic Club, an experience that could have been invaluable for him ahead of the final.

It remains to be seen whether Barcelona make it to the hypothetical final and if Hansi Flick decides to drop Szczęsny in favor of Iñaki Peña for that game. For now, though, the focus is on securing victory tonight.

This game presents a golden opportunity for Szczęsny to perform well and prove to Hansi Flick that he can be relied upon for the remainder of the season. The Polish goalkeeper brings a wealth of experience, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in a match of this magnitude.