Barcelona are riding a positive waves after winning the Spanish Super Cup final and progressing to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey following a 5-0 rout of Ceuta midweek.
The Catalans will look to maintain their lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga when they host Getafe.
Barcelona should be wary of underestimating Getafe despite the Madrid-based side currently sitting 15th in the league table with 17 points. It will be the first meeting between these two clubs this season. The last time they met it was at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez where they played to a scoreless draw but Getafe had more shots (9) and shots on target (3).
“Getafe are a side who defend very well, who normally play with five at the back,” Xavi Hernandez said in his pre-match press conference. “They play direct with good references up front like Mayoral and Enes Ünal. They are going to be a difficult opponent.”
Barcelona will be without Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in the attack. Lewandowski will be serving the second of his three match ban and Torres will be serving a ban of his own after picking up a red card in the match against Atletico Madrid.
The squad to face Getafe. [fcb] #fcblive pic.twitter.com/r7gnZLFmhc
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 21, 2023
Another absence for Xavi will be that of Memphis Depay who recently departed to join the aforementioned Atletico Madrid. Signing another forward or striker seems unlikely at the moment so Angel Alarcon has been called up as a reinforcement. The 18-year made his official debut with the senior team last Thursday in the Copa del Rey.
Aside from the absences of Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, the rest of the squad is available.
It will be interesting to see if Xavi goes back to his traditional 4-3-3 with two wingers on each flank as well as who takes Lewandowski’s spot as the focal point. He could opt for what he did against Real Madrid where he plays Gavi on the left side of the attack — essentially using four midfielders — or if that’s a tactic he’s going to use against more high-profile opponents.
The last time Barcelona played at the Camp Nou was in the Catalan Derby where they drew 1-1 against Espanyol. Imposing themselves at home is certainly a priority for the coaching staff and it will be an important one if the Blaugrana want to win LaLiga and make a run in the Europa League.
Expected Barcelona line-up:
Ter Stegen
Kounde – Araujo – Christensen – Balde
Pedri – Busquets – De Jong
Raphinha – Ansu Fati – Dembélé