Lamine Yamal shows versatility ahead of Barcelona's crucial Champions League game against Eintracht Frankfurt

Barcelona have had to deal with their fair share of injuries this season, but in Saturday's 5-3 win at Real Betis, manager Hansi Flick got creative by assigning a new role to Lamine Yamal – attacking midfielder.

Yamal slid out of his usual wide role and filled in while the likes of Dani Olmo, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez missed out on a starting spot over the weekend, each of them dealing with fitness issues. The role change suited him well – the 18-year-old notched his sixth goal of the season in league play, all while a new batch of his attacking talents took center stage. Yamal had one of his best performances of the season in terms of end product with 0.79 expected goals, his second-best individual tally in LaLiga this season, and created three chances along the way, the most he's had in league play.

Flick's decision allowed Yamal to show off a versatility that has always been in his game – he reportedly has experience in the role from his days in Barcelona's academy, which is why things went according to plan on Saturday.

"I spoke with Lamine about the new position," Flick said post-match. "We came up with the idea with the coaching staff, and then we asked him if he could envisage himself playing as a No 10. He said yes, that he liked it, so we went ahead and tried it … One of the most important things was that I saw multiple actions of Yamal being very active in defence and getting the possession back. It was amazing and exactly what I wanted to see."

There is a question of if Yamal will play more centrally again on Tuesday against Eintracht Frankfurt, in part because Lopez and Raphinha may be available. Yamal, though, will be key regardless of where he plays for Barcelona – and is likely incentivized to perform ahead of a crucial matchup in the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona enter Matchday 6 in 18th place and have just two wins, most recently notching a 3-0 loss at Chelsea in which Yamal was effectively neutralized. The Blues may have laid out a blueprint for others to follow when it comes to dealing with Flick's side but Frankfurt may not be equipped to follow Chelsea's method. The German side have conceded 14 goals in five Champions League games so far and sit outside of the top 24, their leaky defense perhaps leading them to an early elimination from the competition.

How to watch Barcelona vs. Eintracht Frankfurt, odds

• Date: Tuesday, Dec. 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Camp Nou -- Barcelona
• Live stream: Paramount+
• Odds: Barcelona -700; Draw +850; Eintracht Frankfurt +1300

Projected lineups

Barcelona: Joan Garcia, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski

Eintracht Frankfurt: Michael Zetterer, Aurèle Amenda, Robin Koch, Arthur Theate, Rasmus Kristensen, Fares Chaibi, Hugo Larsson, Nathaniel Brown, Ritsu Doan, Mario Gotze, Ansgar Knauff

Prediction

Neither of these teams have any real ability to defend, with Barcelona conceding 10 goals and Eintracht Frankfurt letting in 14 through five Champions League games so far. An entertaining, and perhaps silly, game is likely in store as a result, but in the end, this will be Barcelona's fixture to lose. Their attackers are likely to show their quality against a porous back line, giving them the edge in an important fixture weeks after their loss at Chelsea.  Pick: Barcelona 3, Eintracht Frankfurt 2