Barcelona will resume La Liga action after the winter break with a trip to Getafe on Sunday night.
The Spanish champions are currently three points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of the table, while they have a seven-point lead over bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Barcelona will fancy their chances of recording their 12th league win of the season this weekend, but Getafe have only lost four top-flight games this term, with a total of 25 points leaving them in an impressive seventh.
Getafe
Getafe will be looking to stretch their unbeaten run of form in La Liga to six matches when they welcome the Spanish champions to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Sunday night.
Jose Bordalas's side have won six, drawn seven and lost just four of their 17 league games this season to sit in seventh position in the table. Only Barcelona, Atletico and Sevilla have lost fewer La Liga clashes this term, and Getafe will certainly fancy their chances of causing the Catalan giants problems on the night.
Getafe have only scored 18 La Liga goals this season, but have conceded just 13, which is the second-best defensive record in the entire division behind Atletico.
The capital outfit have only lost one of their last seven in the league, meanwhile, and will bring a five-match unbeaten run into this contest. Their last home league fixture brought a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on December 15, while they entered the winter break off the back of a 1-1 draw at Girona.
El Geta only returned to La Liga last season following one year in the Segunda, but they managed an eighth-place finish. They have not finished higher than that since posting sixth at the end of the 2009-10 campaign, although this team looks capable of challenging for a European position this term.
That said, three of their four league defeats this season have come in front of their own supporters, while they have not beaten Barcelona in a La Liga affair since November 2011.
Getafe are not going to blow Barcelona away this weekend - they are simply not that type of team - but certainly have the tools required to continue their unbeaten run of form, which has left them just five points off the Champions League spots.
Recent form: LDWDWD
Recent form (all competitions): DWWDWD
Barcelona
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Barcelona will be looking for their fifth straight La Liga win when they travel to Getafe on Sunday night. Indeed, since the draw at Atletico on November 24, the Catalan side have beaten Villarreal, Espanyol, Levante and Celta Vigo.
Ernesto Valverde's side have scored 13 times across those four matches and conceded zero. A total of 37 points from their 17 matches this season has left them top of the table, three points clear of second-placed Atletico.
Barcelona were not perfect in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign, but they are through in both the Champions League and Copa del Rey, while the destination of the La Liga title is in their hands ahead of a busy few weeks.
Barcelona did not really need to break a sweat in La Liga last term. Indeed, the Catalan giants lost just one of their 38 matches, winning 28 times, to storm to the title. They are facing more of a challenge this term, but have the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in fine form.
Messi leads the scoring charts in La Liga this season with 15, while Luis Suarez has 11 league strikes to his name. Ousmane Dembele has also contributed seven goals, with the Frenchman, who has had his off-the-field issues, currently keeping Philippe Coutinho out of the side.
Valverde led Barcelona to a La Liga and Copa del Rey double in his first season at the club, but his long-term future is very much undecided. Indeed, the 54-year-old will be out of contract at the end of this season and neither he nor the club has made a move to activate an extension.
The Champions League does not resume until next month, but Barcelona have a busy run over the next 11 days as they take on Getafe and Eibar in La Liga, in addition to facing Levante in a two-legged Copa del Rey tie.
The Catalan giants are certainly the favourites to overcome Getafe this weekend, but they have already lost to Leganes and Real Betis in Spain's top flight this season, which means that they cannot afford to be complacent.
Recent form: LDWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDWW
Team News
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Getafe will once again be without the services of Amath Ndiaye due to a knee problem, while Markel Bergara remains on the sidelines with a fractured arm.
Mathieu Flamini will start on the bench once again, but there will be a position in the XI for centre-back Djene Dakonam, who has once again impressed with a string of strong performances this season.
Angel and Jorge Molina have nine La Liga goals between them this term and should continue as the front two.
As for Barcelona, the Catalan giants have not played since December 22, when goals from Dembele and Messi secured a 2-0 home win over Celta.
Arthur and Coutinho again had to settle for spots on the bench in that match, with Arturo Vidal and Dembele given starting positions.
Arthur will be hoping to return to the XI this weekend, but it seems likely that Coutinho will start on the bench once again due to the form of Dembele alongside Messi and Luis Suarez in the final third of the field.
Clement Lenglet should keep his spot at centre-back as Samuel Umtiti is still out, while Nelson Semedo is expected to start ahead of Sergi Roberto at right-back despite the Spaniard returning to training following a hamstring problem.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; D Suarez, Dakonam, Cabrera, Antunes; Mata, Maksimovic, Arambarri, Foulquier; Angel, Molina
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Arthur; Dembele, L Suarez, Messi
Head To Head
Getafe held Barcelona to a goalless draw when the two teams met at Camp Nou in February 2018.
Barcelona did record a 2-1 win when they last travelled to Getafe in the league, however, and El Geta have not overcome the Catalan giants in a La Liga contest since a 1-0 home success in November 2011.
Three of the last seven league meetings between the two teams have finished level.
We say: Getafe 0-2 Barcelona
Getafe have been very impressive this season, but Barcelona have won their last four in the league without conceding and we fancy Valverde's side to secure another three points this weekend.
Matt Law
