Barcelona will be heading to the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez in a return to action
Barcelona will be travelling to Getafe for the first game of the new year, to a stadium where the side has a brilliant record. The squad is fit, except for the injured Rafinha, Sergi Samper, Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen, with the return of Malcom and Sergi Roberto.
The club should be planning to start 2019 with a win, to maintain the narrow 3-point lead over second-placed Atlético Madrid. But Ernesto Valverde should be wary of Getafe, who have got off to a great start to the season, and have picked up 11 points from the last 5 matches.
Expected Starting XI (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Marc-André ter Stegen
Right-back: Sergi Roberto
Centre-back(right): Gerard Piqué
Centre-back(left): Clément Lenglet
Left-back: Jordi Alba
Central playmaker(right): Arturo Vidal
Central defensive midfielder: Ivan Rakitić
Central playmaker(left): Arthur
Right winger: Lionel Messi
Centre-forward: Luis Suárez
Left winger: Philippe Coutinho
The selection of the starting lineup is expected to be done on the basis of the fact that the next La Liga match-up is against Eibar, just a couple of days after the first leg of the Copa del Rey Round of 16 fixture against Levante.
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Marc-André ter Stegen will be starting in goal, while Sergi Roberto returns to the right-back spot after returning from a hamstring injury that has kept him out for almost a month. The usual trio of Gerard Piqué, Clément Lenglet and Jordi Alba are also expected to start.
In midfield, Ivan Rakitić could take up the role of Sergio Busquets, with the Spain international suffering from digestion issues. In that case, Arturo Vidal would remain in the first-team and Arthur would return after two games coming off the bench.
Up top, Luis Suárez will take up the centre-forward position as Munir has been left out of the first-team squad. Lionel Messi is the constant, while Philippe Coutinho could be given an opportunity after being left on the bench due to Ousmane Dembélé’s excellent form.
The first-team needs to be fresh for the Eibar game, especially with Atlético in hot pursuit. Against Levante, Jeison Murillo is expected to make his debut while Denis Suárez, Carles Aleñá and Malcom are set to get some playing time.
In fact, Malcom could make an appearance off the bench against Getafe, along with the likes of Ousmane Dembélé and Arturo Vidal.