After a 5-1 thrashing of Villarreal, Barcelona are already looking ahead to their next La Liga game. This time around, the Catalan giants will welcome Getafe to the Montjuic Stadium and finally get to play a game at home. Their opponents, however, will look to make life difficult for Barcelona.
Yet, with several players having received plenty of rest against Villarreal, Hansi Flick has the liberty to field a strong eleven against Getafe and he could make four changes. Fortunately for him, a lot of players will be eager for this opportunity and will want to help the coach continue the team’s perfect record.
Here is how Hansi Flick’s Barcelona could line up against Getafe.
Expected Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Inaki Pena
With Marc-Andre Ter Stegen now injured, it becomes the responsibility of Inaki Pena to step up in his absence. While Barcelona continue to contemplate the arrival of a new goalkeeper as well potentially, it is all up to Pena for now until that actually happens.
Right-back: Jules Kounde
The Frenchman continues to be an absolute constant for Hansi Flick and he will be hoping to find a starting place once again in the game against Getafe.
Centre-back: Pau Cubarsi
Since the young defender started off the bench in the last game against Villarreal, it would make sense to see him start this one against Getafe with a good amount of rest having been given to him.
Centre-back: Inigo Martinez
The veteran who gets no breaks, on the other hand, is Inigo Martinez. He will likely start again for Barcelona and continue his strong streak in La Liga in the absence of other key defenders.
Left-back: Alejandro Balde
Another player who got plenty of rest against Villarreal, Alejandro Balde should slot right back into the team for the game against Getafe. The €40m-rated defender’s speed could allow the Catalan giants to possibly hurt a Getafe side that will be reliant on its low-block defensive setup.
CDM: Marc Casado
Marc Casado was also rested against Villarreal and only got to come on as a substitute. As a result, it looks quite likely that he could start against Getafe and his skillset could prove to be a very useful one for Barça.
CDM: Pedri
Thanks to Pablo Torre’s strong display as an attacking midfielder, Pedri can also focus on controlling the tempo of the game more without needing to worry about adding passes to the final third as well. In this upcoming game against Getafe, he could benefit from that positional change yet again.
RAM: Lamine Yamal
The tale of Lamine Yamal continues to become a more bewildering one as each day passes. With an otherworldly assist to Raphinha in the previous game, his streak of goal contributions continues and he will be looking to add even more against Getafe.
CAM: Pablo Torre
With a brilliant display against Villarreal in his last game, it would only make sense for Pablo Torre to get an opportunity to start once again. His exceptional qualities were on full display last time out, and he will be hoping to deliver more of the same if he gets a chance again.
With strong performance after strong performance, there is simply no reason for Hansi Flick to bench a determined Raphinha so far this season. His goals and assists are already an apparent benefit, but his workrate and character only further explain why he is trusted to lead this team.
