Barcelona will aim to bounce back from a shock goalless draw with Girona when they face Getafe at the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Sunday.
Despite Monday's result, Barca remain 13 points clear at the summit of the La Liga table, with 15th-placed Getafe trailing the champions elect by 42 points.
Match preview
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Having struggled towards the bottom end of the table for much of the season, Getafe looked destined for relegation following a six-match winless run across January and February.
However, Azulones have turned their campaign around in recent weeks, avoiding defeat in seven of their last nine encounters to keep them three points outside of the drop zone with 10 matches remaining.
After ending their winless run with a 1-0 victory over Valencia, Getafe claimed wins against Girona and Sevilla to secure three victories in the space of five games, with a goalless draw at Athletic Bilbao coming soon after.
Although Quique Sanchez Flores's men suffered a 2-0 defeat at Real Sociedad last weekend, they gave a decent account of themselves against the Champions League chasers.
Getafe can take confidence from the fact that they have won each of their last three home games, with two defeats coming in their previous nine, but they will struggle to extend their winning run against high-flying Barcelona.
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That said, Xavi's Barca find themselves in an unfamiliar situation as they aim to end a two-match winless run, with a 4-0 Copa del Rey thrashing at the hands of Real Madrid preceding Monday's goalless draw with Girona.
It is worth remembering, however, that Barcelona secured 11 victories in 12 league games before drawing with Girona, strengthening their grip on a first La Liga title since 2018-19.
When you look at the bigger picture, Barcelona have won 23 of their 28 league encounters this term, meaning that the Catalan giants have already surpassed last season's win total of 21.
Not only have Barca won more than 80% of their La Liga clashes in 2022-23, but they have also kept 21 clean sheets in the process, while goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has conceded a measly nine goals.
Having won 12 of their 14 away league games this term – keeping nine clean sheets along the way – Barcelona are expected to take another step towards securing the La Liga title at the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
Team News
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Getafe look set to be without key midfielder Mauro Arambarri this weekend, as the Uruguayan has missed the past five matches due to a muscle injury.
Veteran forward Jaime Mata also remains sidelined with a calf injury, which has limited the 34-year-old to just 10 substitute appearances in the league this term.
Top scorer Enes Unal has netted six goals across his previous six La Liga outings, so he will be joined in attack by Borja Mayoral and former Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi.
Barca are still without long-term injury absentee Ousmane Dembele, meaning that Raphinha and Ferran Torres will likely operate alongside Robert Lewandowski in the forward line.
Frenkie de Jong and Pedri will also miss Sunday's clash through injury, with Sergio Busquets, Franck Kessie and Gavi expected to occupy the midfield roles.
With centre-back Andreas Christensen out due to a muscle injury, Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo are likely to continue in Barcelona's backline.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Djene, Duarte, Alderete; Suarez, Maksimovic, Milla, Portu; Mayoral, Unal, Munir
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Garcia, Balde; Gavi, Busquets, Kessie; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Torres
We say: Getafe 0-2 Barcelona
Regardless of recent results, we expect a resurgent Barcelona outfit to secure a comfortable victory over Getafe, with Xavi's men adding yet another clean sheet to their ever-growing tally.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
