Barcelona predicted lineup vs Getafe - La Liga
This Hansi Flick fella can coach. Who knew?
The German continues to laugh in the face of Barcelona's injury crisis and rattle off wins without breaking much of a sweat. Barca are six from six in La Liga to top the division; one that was expected to be dominated by a Kylian Mbappe-inspired Real Madrid.
The Catalonians mean business this term, with their away triumphs at Girona and Villarreal depicting a side laden with confidence at the start of the new manager's reign. Flick's got this Barcelona team purring, and a struggling Getafe side are the next outfit to feel the heat.
Here's how Barca could line up for their upcoming La Liga encounter on Wednesday night.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Getafe (4-2-3-1)
GK: Inaki Pena - It's Pena time in Barcelona after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a nasty knee injury in the rout of Villarreal at the weekend. The club's number two enjoyed a prolonged run in the team while the German nursed a back injury last season.
RB: Jules Kounde - He may not particularly like the position, but he's ever so stable down that right flank. He's been a model of consistency in 2024.
CB: Pau Cubarsi - The progressive young defender broke out last year and is only improving. Barcelona have not missed star defender Ronald Araujo at all.
CB: Inigo Martinez - With Araujo and Andreas Christensen both out injured, Martinez has been forced to step up in a big way. The Spaniard has barely put a foot wrong alongside Cubarsi at the start of the new season.
LB: Alejandro Balde - There's no denying Balde's influence down the left flank, with Flick handing the Spanish international plenty of freedom to venture forward and overload the opposition's backline. Getafe's back five will try to mitigate the threat supplied by Barca's full-back.
DM: Marc Casado - Marc Bernal appeared to be the breakout star in Barca's midfield, but an ACL tear means Casado has been handed the chance to shine. The 21-year-old, in the absence of Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, has looked at ease in a fairly demanding role behind the first pressing line.
DM: Pedri - It would be great if this little maestro was to enjoy an injury-free campaign because he's just utterly joyous. Pedri has an all-action role in Flick's system and has the license to wreak havoc from the left half-space.
RM: Lamine Yamal - The teenager may well be the best wide player in the game already. The level he's reached at the start of 2024/25 is absurd. He's Barca's main man.
AM: Raphinha - The Brazilian was a bright spark amid a campaign of tumult last term, and he's emerged as one of the stars of Flick's Barca. Raphinha is thriving centrally, and he heads into this one having scored twice on Sunday.
LM: Ferran Torres - We should see Torres come back into the team after he was suspended for the victory over Villarreal at the weekend. The in-behind threat could hug the flank or operate infield and make darting runs in the channel.
ST: Robert Lewandowski - Lewandowski drew level with Jan Urban to become the joint-highest scoring Pole in La Liga history by scoring twice at the weekend, but he squandered the chance to take the outright lead when he missed a second-half penalty. Still, it's only a matter of time before Urban's record falls.