The two sides meet for the first time since the goalless draw at Camp Nou last year, with La Liga’s best attack facing the second best defence
Barcelona play their first match of 2019 when they take on Getafe at Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Sunday.
The Catalan club ended 2018 with four straight wins in La Liga, and now aim to continue that form after the winter break.
Getafe, meanwhile, sit in seventh, one place higher than their final position last term, and are four games unbeaten in the league. They fell to respective 2-0 defeats against the two Madrid clubs earlier in the season however, and will be in for a tough evening against the Spanish champions.
Azulones did scrap for a 0-0 draw at Camp Nou 11 months ago but they lost the home fixture 2-1 against Barca last season.
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be shown on television but can be streamed on Eleven Sports.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | Eleven Sports |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Getafe squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Soria, Chichizola, Yanez |
| Defenders | Djene, Miquel, Gonzalez, Cabrera, Antunes, Suarez, Foulquier |
| Midfielders | Bergara, Flamini, Arambarri, Maksimovic, Shibasaki, Cristoforo, Saiz, Portillo, Ndiaye, Alejo, Ibanez, |
| Forwards | Mata, Rodriguez, Guardiola, Molina |
The hosts are without Amath Ndiaye for the remainder of the season and Markel Bergara is sidelined with a fractured arm.
Predicted Getafe XI: Soria; Suarez, Dakonam, Cabrera, Antunes; Foulquier, Maksimovic, Arambarri, Saiz; Mata, Molina.
| Position | Barcelona squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ter Stegen, Cillessen |
| Defenders | Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Miranda, Vermaelen, Murillo |
| Midfielders | Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal, Denis Suarez, Arthur, Alena |
| Forwards | Messi, Luis Suarez, Coutinho, Dembele, Munir |
Barca are missing Thomas Vermaelen, Rafinha and Samuel Umtiti through injury, but Ernesto Valverde does have new signing Jeison Murillo available.
Sergio Busquets has returned to training but faces a late fitness test.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal; Messi, Suarez, Dembele.
Barcelona are the favourites with bet365 who rate the Catalans’ chances at 2/5. Getafe meanwhile are 13/2 to win, while a draw is priced at 4/1.
Match Preview
The goalless draw at Camp Nou last term came as a shock and it was one of only three league games the champions failed to win at home during the whole season.
Unsurprisingly, Barca have shown strong form again this year and finished 2018 on the top of the table, three points ahead of Atletico Madrid. They have been the highest scoring team in La Liga by a distance so far, netting 48 times in 17 games – 18 more than any other side.
But Getafe have the second best defensive record in the Spanish top flight having conceded just 13 times, a record only beaten by Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, so this could be one of the sterner tests for Barcelona’s forwards.
Ahead of the game, Valverde said: “We suffered to beat them in Getafe last season and were unable to score when we met them at home. They’re a side who are pressing high up the pitch and doing so with great conviction. Their position in the table says it all.”
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That suggests Barca are not taking their hosts lightly as they aim to ward off pressure from Atletico at the top of the table.
Both sides will feature in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey in mid-week, but don’t expect either set of players to be distracted when they go head-to-head this evening.
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