Barca vs Getafe: Xavi’s team will face Getafe at Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Sunday evening. A draw or a win against the Quique Sanchez Flores’s team would be enough to seal the 2nd spot in La Liga as the Catalans are just 1 point away from securing the 2nd spot in the La Liga table.
Match Details:
Date: Sunday, May 15th, 2022
Time: 7:30 pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 6:30 pm GMT (UK), 1:30 pm ET, 10:30 pm PT (USA), 11:00 pm IST (India), 10:30 pm PST (Pakistan)
Competition: La Liga
Match Day: 37
Venue: Coliseum Alfonso Perez
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano
How to watch on Tv: ESPN + [Online] (USA), TSN 4 (Canada), LaLigaTV (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), MTV (India), Geo Super (Pakistan), Movistar Liga de Campeones (Spain)
How to watch online: ESPN + (USA), (USA), LaLigaTV (UK)
Overview:
The Garnet and Blue will return to action on Sunday evening against Quique Sanchez Flores’s side, looking to secure the second spot in La Liga.
Our opponent today is in a similar situation but at the bottom of the table. Barring unexpected magic from the trio of Mallorca, Granada, and Cadiz, Getafe is safe from getting relegated to the Segunda Division. Since one point is enough to ensure the desired position for both teams, everyone can be satisfied with a draw.
Getafe had a disastrous start of the season, with a 7-game straight row of losses, which cost the job of their coach Michel. With Quique Sanchez at the helm, the Azulones started to rise, and climbed up to a lower mid-table position, at a relatively comfortable distance from the relegation zone.
What has been typical to Getafe in the recent seasons is their defensive approach to the game paired with extreme aggressivity, which makes them uncomfortable to play against. As they tend to be the reactive side in most of the games, having the lowest rate of possession in the whole league, they concentrate on limiting the options of the opponents and do not allow them to make quality shots, which is well-reflected by their xGA of only 36 (top 5).
Talking about aggressivity, they make the 5th most pressures, wherefore also commit the 3rd most fouls, and thus, have the 2nd most yellow and joint-most red cards – coincidentally, Valencia leads in all these stats, the team of their former manager, Jose Bordalas.
Attacking-wise, their horrible performance – worst xG in the league with 28 – was shielded with an immense overperforming (+10 goals), led by the amazing Enes Ünal. The Turkish international bagged 15 goals this season and saved his team on numerous occasions, and today he will look to do the same again.
Xavi’s team will have many absentees through a combination of injuries and suspensions. Several key players are suspended for this match including Frenkie de Jong, Jordi Alba, and Eric Garcia. Eric Garcia is suspended for the match and also underwent surgery earlier this week.
Sergino Dest and Gerad Pique haven’t recovered from their injuries yet and Ronald Araujo has not been called up as a precaution. As a result, Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti, and Oscar Mingueza could all feature at the back alongside Dani Alves against Getafe.
Frenkie’s unavailability due to suspension has opened up another opportunity for Riqui Puig, who will have another chance to showcase his capabilities and try to earn the trust of Xavi Hernandez. Although Xavi has changed his system in the previous match with a front four and this could happen again in this match.
Ansu Fati has been training with the team for a while now and he looked sharp against Celta Vigo. He could also be in the contention to start the match.
As always tough opponent, but hopefully we still pull it off. Visca Barca
Key Stats
Fc Barcelona:
Last 5 Games (All competitions): W-L-W-W-W
- Celta Vigo 1-3 Fc Barceloan | La Liga
- Real Betis 1-2 Fc Barcelona | La Liga
- RCD Mallorca 1-2 Fc Barcelona | La Liga
- Fc Barcelona 0-1 Rayo Vallecano | La Liga
- Real Sociedad 0-1 Fc Barcelona | La Liga
Current Standing: 2nd in La Liga
Getafe:
Last 5 Games (All competitions): L-W-D-D-D
- Osasuna 1-1 Getafe | La Liga
- Rayo Vallecano 0-0 Getafe | La Liga
- Real Betis 0-0 Getafe | La Liga
- Celta Vigo 0-2 Getafe | La Liga
- Getafe 1-2 Villarreal | La Liga
Current Standing: 15th in La Liga
Potential Line up:
Fc Barcelona:
Formation: 4-3-3
Goal Keeper: Ter Stagen
Defenders: Dani, Umtiti, Lenglet, Mingueza
Midfielders: Busquets, Gavi, Puig
Forwards: Dembele, Aubameyang, Ferran
The official Squad list has been announced for the match against Getafe and Ronald Araujo has not been called up as a precaution.
