Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has explain how he knew exactly which way Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe would shoot for his saved penalty in last week’s El Clasico.
Real Madrid won an ill-tempered game against their rivals 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in a match which the hosts dominated, with Mbappe and Jude Bellingham on target either side of a Fermin Lopez goal.
Szczesny, who came in for the injured Joan Garcia for the game, did his best to keep Barca in the gane with a string of saved, including one from 12-yards against Mbappe.
The Polish stopper correctly guessed that the France captain would shoot to low and left and keep his team in with a chance of salvaging the game.
Explaining his pre-match rituals when it comes to saving spotkicks, Szczesny said in an interview with the Blaugrana: “I study a lot. Before each match, I watch the last 20 penalties taken by the two or three main penalty takers.
“Sometimes you pick up information during their careers. Some shoot differently depending on the moment in the match or the score. I try to have as much information as possible.”
Asked how he knew which way the superstar forward would go, he added: “It was pretty obvious, he scored the last penalty like that.
“I was feeling confident, I knew he’d choose the same side. Then you just have to pray you get to the ball.”
