Barcelona look to take another big step towards clinching the La Liga title when they travel to Madrid for a very tough away game against Getafe.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Saturday’s battle:
Defense
Barça don’t have a lot of time to recover from a very difficult game against Celta Vigo in midweek, so Hansi Flick could make a couple of changes to refresh his team for another tough challenge.
One of the changes could come at the back as João Cancelo managed to avoid further trouble after an injury scare on Wednesday, but it’s sensible to give him a rest in this one and start Alejandro Balde at left-back. Jules Kounde is likely to keep his place on the right, and Eric Garcia’s suspension probably guarantees another start for Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín at center-back.
Midfield
Flick has been cautious to reintegrate Frenkie de Jong into the lineup after a long absence, so we think the Dutchman will be on the bench again and Gavi will start alongside Pedri in the double pivot. Fermín López could rotate into the number 10 role to give Dani Olmo a breather, but there’s a chance both start together with one of them, likely Fermín, on the left wing.
Attack
We don’t think Flick will start a midfielder on the left wing because of the likelihood of Getafe playing a back five, so a true winger like Marcus Rashford is a better fit for this matchup. Ferran Torres looks like the starting striker for now, and Roony Bardghji will get a rare chance to start as Lamine Yamal has been ruled out for the season through injury.
Possible XI: Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; Gavi, Pedri; Roony, Fermín, Rashford; Ferran (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Getafe? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!