3 Formations Barcelona can use in Messi's absence for El Clasico and Champions League
It was a victory for which Barcelona paid a significant price.
Saturday's 4-2 defeat of Sevilla saw the Catalan giants move to the Liga summit but the main talking point of the game was the loss of Lionel Messi.
The mesmeric Argentine took his league goal tally to seven for the season moments after setting up Philippe Coutinho for Barcelona's opener but a challenge from Franco Vazquez cut his match short.
Messi is set to be sidelined for three weeks with an arm injury that will see him miss a crucial Champions League home tie with Inter Milan, who are level on points with the Blaugrana in Group B, as well as next week's El Clasico clash with Real Madrid.
Barcelona could also be without their main man for games with Cultural Leonesa, Rayo Vallecano, Real Betis and the away fixture with Inter.
Ernesto Valverde is renowned for his tactical awareness but even he will be left scratching his head following the casualty.
How exactly should he set his side up in Messi's absence? Here's a look at three formations Barcelona could try out without the formidable front man.
4-3-3
Barcelona have operated for much of this season in a 4-3-3 system with Messi and there's no saying they will switch to another set-up in his absence.
Having played with two up-top for the majority of last campaign, the decision by Valverde to switch to the 4-3-3 was met with initial cynicism by Barca fans. Four wins to start the season, including an 8-2 drubbing of Huesca, quickly silenced the skeptics.
Messi is impossible to pin down tactically but the key to his game is an ability to run at players and cut inside from the flank to create goalscoring opportunities. Without him, it is likely Valverde would opt for Coutinho and Ousmane Dembélé either side of Luis Suarez.
Dembélé has provided more crosses (nine) than any other Barca player this term and he provides a more direct threat, driving at opposition full-backs and whipping the ball in. Coutinho is the more likely to take up the Messi role of cutting inside, taking shots and drawing others into the game.
Suarez, who typically peels out wide to create space for Messi through the middle, is likely to anchor down a more central role, especially due to Dembélé's deliveries and crosses from Jordi Alba and Nelson Semedo, who could have more space on the overlap.