Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will look to take another step towards the league title when they hit the road to square up against Getafe, who are pushing hard to secure European football for next season.
The home team are sixth on the table with 44 points in their 32 outings. They are five points behind fifth-placed Real Betis and are level on points with 7th-placed Celta Vigo. While the Europa League spot is difficult to claim, they are trying their best to ensure they can secure a place in the Conference League.
However, with Celta Vigo hot on their heels, they must win the majority of their remaining games. Getafe have won three out of their last four league outings. They secured a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad last time out. While they are in form, going up against Barcelona is never easy.
The Catalan giants have been on a roll of late, as they have won each of their last eight league games and will be hoping to make it nine in a row. They are top of the table with 82 points in their 32 outings. Barcelona have a nine-point lead over 2nd-placed Real Madrid, and given their current form, the title race looks more like a formality.
They will look to continue their winning streak and get closer to defending the La Liga title. While they did win against Celta Vigo last time out, it wasn’t their best performance, and Flick will be looking to ensure they have a more comfortable outing here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The home team will be without the services of Zaid Romero because of suspension, while Juanmi (muscle) and Borja Mayoral (knee) are out injured. Getafe do have a boost heading into this fixture as Domingos Duarte is back available after serving a suspension last time out.
Getafe will line up in a 3-5-2 formation, where David Soria will take charge between the sticks. In the heart of the defence, Abdel Abqar will start alongside Domingos Duarte and Sebastian Boselli.
The trio will be looking to make it consecutive clean sheets, and they will receive significant support from Kiko Femenia and Juan Iglesias, who will feature as the wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Djene Dakonam will partner with Luis Milla and Mauro Arambarri. The trio will look to ensure Barcelona midfielders do not dominate possession too deep in their half.
Martin Satriano and Luis Vazquez will form the attacking duo for the home team.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Soria; Abqar, Duarte, Boselli; Femenia, Dakonam, Milla, Arambarri, Iglesias; Vazquez, Satriano
Lamine Yamal has picked up a hamstring injury, which has ruled him out for the remainder of the season. He joins Andreas Christensen (knee) and Raphinha (hamstring) on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Eric Garcia is suspended for this fixture.
Barcelona will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Joan Garcia will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will be the full-backs, while Pau Cubarsi will pair up with Ronald Araujo at the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri will form the double pivot. They will shield the backline and look to control the tempo of the game.
Roony Bardghji and Fermin Lopez could take charge on the flanks in this fixture, while Gavi could feature in the number ten role. Meanwhile, Ferran Torres will be the one leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Bardghji, Gavi, Fermin; Torres
While Lamine Yamal’s absence is a massive blow, it hands Roony Bardghji an opportunity to get some game time under his belt and build on the impressive performances earlier in the season. In just 661 minutes of first-team action spread across his 24 matches, the 20-year-old Swedish winger has two goals and four assists.
In the limited stars that he has had, Bardghji has managed to impress one and all with his pace, dribbling ability and his composure in the final third. The Swedish winger will certainly look to make the most out of the chances that he gets in the final phase of the season.
Barcelona head into this fixture as firm favourites given their exceptional run of form and dominance at the top of the table. Even with a few key absentees, they have enough quality and depth to control proceedings and dictate the tempo from the outset. Expect them to enjoy the lion’s share of possession and patiently work their way through Getafe’s defensive setup.
Getafe, meanwhile, have been in solid form and will look to stay compact and frustrate the visitors, especially on home turf. Their recent defensive discipline could make things tricky for Barcelona early on, but sustaining that resistance over 90 minutes will be a tough ask. Ultimately, the Catalan giants’ attacking quality should shine through. The Hard Tackle predicts a comfortable 2-0 win for the home team.
