As Barcelona gets ready to play its fifth match in three weeks, Hansi Flick must decide which players to rotate in his starting XI.
Three days after defeating Getafe 1–0, Barcelona takes on Osasuna away from home on Saturday, Sept. 28. So far, the Catalans remain perfect under Flick, collecting all 21 available points in their early 2024–25 La Liga campaign. Despite injuries to several key players, including Dani Olmo, Gavi and Marc-André ter Stegen, Barcelona already has a four-point lead over rivals Real Madrid.
With Barcelona's next Champions League fixture coming on Tuesday, though, Flick needs to manage his depleted squad. Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Koundé have started every match of the season and could be in for some much-needed rest against Osasuna.
Here's what Barcelona's lineup could look like against Osasuna.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Osasuna (4-2-3-1)
GK: Iñaki Peña–The goalkeeper recorded a clean sheet in his first competitive start since February in the wake of Marc-André ter Stegen's injury.
RB: Jules Koundé–Koundé will make his ninth consecutive start under Flick as one of the manager's most reliable players.
CB: Pau Cubarsí–The 17-year-old must keep Raúl García and Ante Budimir off the scoresheet to help out his new keeper.
CB: Sergi Domínguez–Iñigo Martínez picked up a knock against Getafe and is a doubt to start just three days later. Domínguez is the natural replacement for the veteran defender, especially after his performance against Villarreal.
LB: Alejandro Balde–The left-back won the most duels (9) against Getafe and played a large part in stifling the visitors' attack on Wednesday night.
DM: Eric García–After playing all 90 minutes on Wednesday, Marc Casadó is slated for a rest while García plays alongside Pedri in a double pivot.
DM: Pedri–Pedri is expected to slot back into Flick's starting XI after only featuring off the bench against Getafe.
RW: Lamine Yamal–Yamal came off the pitch limping after the final whistle against Getafe, but the 17-year-old is ready to go on Saturday should Flick give him the nod.
AM: Pablo Torre–The 21-year-old impressed in his last two starts as Barcelona's No. 10 in place of the injured Dani Olmo. Torre already has one goal and one assist in three La Liga appearances for Barcelona.
LW: Raphinha–The Brazilian recorded five goals and two assists in La Liga under Flick and is Barcelona's captain in the absence of Ter Stegen. Raphinha is one of the players Flick could rotate, though, in which case Ferran Torres would likely start in his place.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Osasuna: La Liga.
