Iniesta out for Barcelona-Fabregas or Song in?
He was voted the best player of the European championship and also the UEFA player of the year ahead of Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, so any team would like to have him in their ranks, bit FC Barcelona will have to do without Andres Iniesta this weekend.
The 28-year old midfielder has a muscle problem and could miss the next three games for Barca, Getafe away, Spartak Moscow in the champion’s league and Granada at the Nou Camp. It is a worry for Tito Vilanova, as Getafe are a bit of a bogey team for the Catalans especially on their own ground. The statistics also show that Barcelona are much more likely to drop points when Iniesta is absent.
Over the last eight years, an inredible 53 out of the 150 points that Barcelona have dropped have been when Iniesta has not played. Vilanova and all the players will be determined to keep their five point margin over Real Madrid until the first Clasico of the season at the Nou Camp on October 7th.
Vilanova has a big decision to make about Iniesta’s replacement on Saturday. Maybe the most obvious replacement is Cesc Fabregas, as he operates further up the pitch and on the left, but some think that Alex Song should be given a chance. It would mean a slight change of formation, but the Cameroonian is versatile and can play a great ball through.
Personally, I would opt for Fabregas, as Getafe are likely to defend resolutely, and Cesc is a more creative player who can open up defenses. He also has something to prove after the media speculation surrounding him this week.
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