PREVIEW | Getafe v FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona take on Getafe (Sunday 4.15pm CEST) with a very clear mission. To keep their healthy lead alive.

They may be 13 points clear at the top of the Liga table, but there are still ten games to go, and they can't afford to get complacent. Real Madrid got their part of the job done on Saturday, winning 2-0 in Cadiz, so the Catalans need to follow suit or a sizeable part of their lead could be chopped away.

And they are going to have to do it against a team that seems to have hit its best form of the season in the last few weeks, and that is arguably in far more desperate need of the points than Xavi's side right now. And Getafe is a team that Barça have typically struggled against in recent meetings. After dropping two points at home to Girona last weekend, Barça, who will be wearing the Sant Jordi cross strip for this one, know this is far from an easy test that awaits. 

Head to head

FC Barcelona were on a run of seven consecutive games without defeat at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, but but they have faltered on their last two visits, failing to score in either match. Two seasons ago a Jaime Mata goal after 55 minutes decided the game, and last season the game ended scoreless.

Getafe also proved a tough nut to crack when they visited Spotify Camp Nou in January of this year. A Pedri goal in the 35th minute was the only one in a tightly contested encounter.

Getafe finding form

Getafe were stuck in the relegation zone until a few weeks ago, having won just four of their first 21 matches. Things have picked up a little of late, especially when playing at home. Following a draw with Rayo Vallecano they then defeated each of Valencia, Girona and Sevilla, and that's been enough to lift them out of the drop zone, although they are still in a highly precarious position.

The main dangers in attack are Turkish striker Enes Ünal, the impressive youngster Borja Mayoral and a man Barça fans know all about, Moroccan international Munir El Haddadi. He's not the only former Barça player in the Getafe squad,  with Carles Aleñá now a well-established member of the Getafe set-up.

Team news

FC Barcelona are once again without the injured Ousmane Dembélé, Pedri, Andreas Cristensen and Frenkie de Jong. It means once again recurring to the reserves to make up the numbers, with nods this weekend for Angel Alarcón and Aleix Garrido.

Rail trip

One of the other unsual features of this game is that rather than travel by plane, the squad went to Madrid on the AVE high speed train. "We haven't done this before because it's a long journey" explained Xavi. "We are doing it because of contamination, and we think it was a perfect occasion because it's an afternoon kick-off. This was the ideal day to do this."

Xavi says

"Getafe normally play with a 5-man defence and that makes things much harder. And they're very physical and that makes them hard to beat in their stadium, especially because they are playing for survival. We need to win because there are still a lot of games left to play if we are going to win this league."

"Most of the injured players should be fit again by next week, but we would rather be cautious. I will pick the best team for this match. We have enough players to cover for the absentees. I don't think this is the moment to experiment."

"Eric García's natural position is centre back. That's where he's played all his life. But because of the way we play, we feel we can adapt his role."

"Real Madrid and Atlético are top quality teams. It's not for me to comment that they haven't been as focused on the league as they could have been. But we certainly have been."

"When two or three of your best players are missing, it shows, and Lewandowski is not the same without Pedri and Dembélé beside him. And Frenkie as well, there is a lot of respect for and between those players."