Barcelona will be without Neymar as they aim to record their ninth consecutive victory in all competitions in today’s La Liga trip to Getafe.
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The Brazilian star, who is in rich form with 14 goals at club level already this season, is absent with an injury to his left ankle picked up in the Champions League win over Paris Saint- Germain, but should return to face Cordoba next weekend.
Manager Luis Enrique, meanwhile, has vowed to continue to make changes to both his starting XI and his tactical approach after raising eyebrows by lining up his team in a highly unusual 3-4-3 formation for Wednesday’s victory over PSG.
The strategy required Neymar and Pedro to cover a lot of ground as they operated as wingbacks, while star man Lionel Messi alternated between the right of midfield when his team had possession and a central striker when they were defending.
Although the formation made Barca vulnerable to PSG’s rapid counter-attacks, it also provided enormous attacking potential as Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez all scored in the 3-1 victory but Enrique, who has fielded 21 different line-ups in his 21 competitive games in charge, refused to confirm whether the new-look formation will make a reappearance at Getafe.
“It was the most drastic change we’ve made this season and I was happy with the way the players adapted,” he said.
“But a football team has to be in a permanent state of construction and evolution. There will never be a day when we will say that the team has reached 100 per cent of its development. We have to be as unpredictable as possible, but also remain effective.”
Enrique also chided fans and critics for being surprised at his propensity to change his line-up and tactics from game to game, reminding them that he has adopted a similar approach throughout his coaching career.
“I also made tactical variations when I was manager of Barca B but nobody was watching then,” he teased. Enrique also urged his players to avoid complacency in a game everyone will be expecting them to win against a Getafe team without a win in four.
“After a Champions League midweek match, this is one of those games that has all the characteristics to become a complicated one,” he warned
