Barcelona will continue to pursue their ambitions in La Liga with the visit of Getafe in the seventh round.
Last night, Real Madrid defeated Alaves in an early match of round 7, temporarily closing the gap with Barcelona to just one point. Therefore, the task for coach Hansi Flick and his team in tomorrow’s match is to beat Getafe to re-establish a safe lead.
Here are three notable points about Barcelona before this crucial encounter.
Will There Be Another “Goal Fest” at Home?
The last time Barcelona played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, they scored 7 goals against Real Valladolid. That match was part of round 4 and took place on August 31. After nearly a month, the Blaugrana will finally “return home.”
During that time, Flick’s team defeated Girona and Villarreal in La Liga but lost to AS Monaco in the Champions League. Thus, Barca fans are surely hoping for another “goal fest” when the team returns to their home ground.
Getafe currently sits 19th in the standings, with just 4 points after 6 matches. The gap in form and squad quality between the two teams is significant, making the fans’ expectations reasonable.
Inaki Pena Will Be the Focus
Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a serious knee injury during the match against Villarreal last Sunday. The German international has just undergone successful surgery and will be out for most of the season.
It’s unclear whether Barcelona plans to participate in the January transfer window, but for now, they need to rely on Inaki Pena. As the second-choice goalkeeper, Pena is expected to start under coach Hansi Flick, beginning with the match against Getafe.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper had a stint replacing Ter Stegen during the 2023/24 campaign, but he did not leave a significant mark. This is another opportunity for Inaki, and he needs to seize it from the very start.
Will Pablo Torre Start?
Due to the absence of several key players in the match against Villarreal last Sunday, Flick gave Pablo Torre a starting spot in midfield, which proved to be a positive decision. The 21-year-old midfielder played exceptionally well, contributing a goal, an assist, and several creative passes.
However, against Getafe, it remains to be seen whether Flick will allow Torre to start now that Ferran Torres is back. One option Flick used in several early-season matches was to deploy Torres on the left wing and move Raphinha to the center.
For Barcelona fans, there’s a desire to see young players like Pablo Torre getting regular playing time. But as the head coach, Hansi Flick must consider the most effective strategies against each opponent.