Barcelona look to continue their history-making perfect start to the season and make it eight wins out of eight in La Liga as the leaders face Getafe at Camp Nou.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Saturday’s battle:
Defense
Barça worked very hard in the summer to build a very deep and versatile squad, and this is the time to take advantage as the Catalans begin a brutal two-week stretch with a home match against Getafe, then three massive away games in a row followed by El Clásico
in a sequence that will truly test the depth and quality of Flick’s squad.
The coach has been a lot more favorable to rotations this season compared to his first two years in charge, and we are likely to see a team full of changes for this one.
Joan Garcia is expected to return in goal after missing the last match before the international break with a minor knee issue, and he’ll likely have his starting center-backs ahead of him in Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín.
Eric Garcia is over a minor issue that caused him to leave the Spain camp during the international break, but Flick is unlikely to take any risks and will start Jules Kounde at right-back. João Cancelo played heavy minutes for Portugal and could also see a rest in this one, with Xavi Espart the natural replacement at left-back.
Midfield
Luis de la Fuente did a solid job of rotating his midfielders during Spain’s games in the Nations League, so there isn’t a big concern with the fitness of any of the four Blaugrana central players who featured for La Roja during the break.
We still think Flick will be careful with Pedri and have him on the bench to start this one, with Gavi likely to take his place after spending the entire break in Catalonia. Rodri only played the full 90 minutes once for Spain and is expected to start at the pivot spot, and Fermín López will likely start ahead of Dani Olmo.
Attack
Raphinha has been practically ruled out for this weekend after coming back early from Brazil duty, and although he doesn’t have an injury the captain is unlikely to be involved at all in this one to make sure he’s fit for the crucial four-game stretch that follows Saturday’s game.
We also think Lamine Yamal will begin this one on the bench after starting all four Spain games, so the likely starting front three will be Karim Adeyemi on the right, Anthony Gordon on the left, and Gabriel Jesus up front.
Possible XI: Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Martín, Espart; Fermín, Rodri, Gavi; Adeyemi, Jesus, Gordon (4-3-3)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Getafe? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
