Another round of LaLiga football will take centre stage this coming weekend. But with vital points up for grabs, can Barcelona get themselves back into the title fight, or will Real Madrid pull away at the summit. Barca have a tasty fixture against Getafe this coming weekend, and the three points aren’t assured.
Barcelona vs Getafe
It has been a remarkable season for Getafe to this point, as the team with the 16th highest amount of resources at their disposal are currently sitting in third position in the league table. Many of the players at Getafe are more accustomed to a relegation battle, but this season they could end up with a place in the Champions League next season. Barcelona will be wary of their opponents, as they would have seen just how good they are last time out.
Getafe produced one of the best performances in LaLiga this season in their last fixture as they outbattled and outclassed Valencia to secure a 3-0 win. Valencia didn’t even register a shot on target in the game, as Getafe dominated them. Jorge Molina Vidal scored twice in that win, while Jaime Mata scored the final goal in the closing stages.
Barcelona also come into this game off the back of a win, but they were not nearly as composed as Getafe. Barcelona went behind twice in their last game against Real Betis, before they eventually scored the winner with 20 minutes remaining. Clement Lenglet scored the winning goal, but he was sent off six minutes later. Barca’s defensive record has been terrible this campaign, as no other side in the top six has let in more than their tally of 28.
However, the home side on the weekend have a dominant advantage over Getafe, as the visitors have only beaten their illustrious opponents on six occasions. Barcelona will know that they can’t allow Real Madrid to pull away at the top of the league, and they will squeak a narrow win from this testing fixture.
Valencia vs Atletico Madrid
Two sides that would have been hoping to be in the battle for a top four finish this season would have been Valencia and Atletico Madrid. Atletico may have also had eyes on a possible title challenge, but any hope of that was over within the opening weeks of the campaign. Valencia are currently sitting two-points away from the Champions League positions, but they have struggled for any kind of consistency this season.
They have lost twice in their previous four fixtures, and have conceded 32 goals so far this season. That is the highest number of goals that any side in the top half of the La Liga table have conceded. Atletico’s problems this campaign have come at the opposite end of the pitch, as they have failed to replace Antoine Griezmann. Diego Simeone’s side have only scored 23 goals this season, which is the lowest number in the top half of the table. They will be further hindered this coming weekend as they will be without Alvaro Morata, Joao Felix and Diego Costa.
However, Atletico come into this fixture off the back of a win against Granada. Angel Correa, who will likely be leading the line once again this weekend, scored their only goal of the game. It was an unspectacular performance from Atletico in that win, but punters will be confident that they will have enough to get over the line against Valencia this weekend to make it two wins from two.
