LA LIGA PREVIEW: GETAFE VS BARCELONA

Barcelona travel to the Coliseum in Madrid to recoup 3 points and restore the lead to 13. 

Barça are currently on shaky grounds in terms of form and should be edging to return to winning ways as they make the journey to the ever dreaded Coliseum Alfonso Perez. 

Following the disappointing exit from the Copa del Rey, they played out a goalless draw at the Camp Nou against Catalan rivals Girona. With Real Madrid snatching up 3 points last night against Cadiz, and a home game against the vibrant Atleti up next, today's game is perfectly positioned to mark a return to form ahead of a very crucial run to the title.

Their opponents are as dogged as they come. Getafe are currently embroiled in the relegation battle, as they often are, but they have recently picked up form at home with 3 home wins on a spin coming into this one. They've always been difficult opponents for Barcelona, and with their own goals to fight for, they will be going all out for the 3 points.

INTERESTING STATS

-Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in seven of their last nine La Liga matches.

-Barcelona won seven of their last nine La Liga meetings with Getafe.

-Barcelona have failed to win and score in their last two visits to Getafe in La Liga (D1 L1).

-Getafe boasts three wins from their last three home games and is unbeaten in four.

-The hosts have avoided a defeat in seven of their last nine encounters.

TEAM NEWS

Getafe

Key central midfielder Mauro Arambarri has missed Getafe’s last five games with a muscle injury, and Sunday’s game would come too soon for him while forward Jaime Mata remains in the recovery room. Otherwise, coach Quique Sanchez Flores has no other problems.

Djene Ortega, Domingos Duarte, and Omar Alderete will sit in front of goalkeeper David Soria, with the wing-back duo of Damian Suarez and Cristian Portu completing the back five.

Nemanja Maksimovic and Luis Milla will look to screen the back-five to form a compact, counter-attacking shape. Their attack should consist of Enes Unal, Munir El-Haddadi, and Borja Mayoral.

Barcelona

The Catalans remain without Pedri, Frenkie, Christensen and Dembele, even though Xavi confirmed that most of them are ready to make a return.

Few changes will be expected from the lineup against Girona. Marc Andre TerStegen continues in goal, Araujo, Kounde, Eric and Balde should complete the defense.

 Roberto wasn't convincing in midfield against Girona and could be replaced by Kessie, even though the ivorian is a card away from potentially missing the game against Atleti. Busquets and Gavi complete the Midfield, while Torres may come in for Fati and join Raphinha and Lewandowski in attack.

Where are Getafe vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Madrid, Spain

Stadium: Coliseum Alfonso Perez

Date: Sunday 16 April

Kick-off Time: 15:15 BST / 10:15 ET / 08:25 PT, 15:15 🇳🇬

Referee: Juan Luis Pulido Santana

While Barcelona are favored to win here, Getafe can't be taken for granted. Both teams will be desperate for the win in order to achieve their varied goals, so it will come down to quality on the pitch, who takes the most chances and makes the least mistakes. 

LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS GIRONA

A feisty derby at the Spotify Camp Nou could provide Barcelona three more points, if they're willing to take it.

Following the shameful performance against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona have the chance to dust themselves off and get back to winning ways as they host Girona. With only La Liga to play for, there are no excuses for dodgy performances from Xavi's men. They should be bolstered by the defeat of Real Madrid by Villarreal, which means a win over Girona will take them 15 points clear of their eternal rivals, putting the league title within closer reach.

Girona are coming into this clash on the back of two wins, a draw and two losses in their last 5 games. They currently sit at 11th and have been fairly decent since they gained promotion. Only The top 3 teams in the league have scored more goals than the Catalans this season. It's unlikely that they'll be involved in the relegation battle, but they'll want to move further away from that with a positive result at the Camp Nou.

INTERESTING STATS

-Barcelona have the best defence in the league, having conceded just nine goals so far.

-Girona have only won two away matches in La Liga this season.

-Barcelona are the second-highest-scoring team in the league, having found the back of the net on 53 occasions in their 27 matches.

-The visitors have lost their last two league fixtures against Barcelona.

-Barcelona are on a four-match winning run in the league and will look to make it five in a row against Girona.

Last five meetings (in La Liga)

28/1/23 Girona 0-1 Barça 

27/1/19 Girona 0-2 Barça

28/9/18 Barça 2-2 Girona

24/2/18 Barça 6-1 Girona

23/9/17 Girona 0-3 Barça

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

Xavi will once again be without the services of Pedri, Dembele, DeJong and Christensen. 

There won't be much changes in the side that played midweek. Ter Stegen will continue in goal, Roberto Araujo, Koundé and Balde should round up the defense.  Gavi, Kessie and Busquets will anchor the Midfield while Robert Lewandowski will be flanked by Raphinha and Ansu Fati.

Girona

Key midfielder Aleix Garcia has returned to training ahead of the contest, and the 25-year-old is expected to be back in the starting side for this clash.

However, Borja Garcia, Joel Roca, Alexander Callens, Yangel Herrera and Ibrahima Kebe are all expected to miss out through injury, while Reinier is suspended.

Míchel is expected to start with the 4-1-4-1 formation, where Paulo Gazzaniga will be in goal. Arnau Martinez and Javi Hernandez will be the full-backs for this away fixture. Meanwhile, Santiago Bueno and David Lopez will be the centre-back pairing.

Oriol Romeu will be the defensive midfielder in the centre of the park. In front of him will be the pair of Aleix Garcia and Ivan Martin, who try to dictate the pace of the game. Meanwhile, Viktor Tsygankov and Toni Villa will be the out wide in the midfield. Valentin Castellanos will be leading the attack for the visitors.

Where are Barcelona vs Girona playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou

Date: Monday 10 April

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PST, 20:00 🇳🇬

Referee: Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz

Girona are very good, sometimes great going forward, but they've conceded as much as they've scored, keeping only one clean sheet this season, which is something Barcelona, who have kept 20 clean sheets, will take advantage of.

It's expected to be an entertaining derby, with Barcelona the favorites.