On Sunday evening, La Liga champions Barcelona host Getafe at the Nou Camp, in a potentially vital game for the visitor's hopes of claiming a Champions League spot this season.
Barcelona head into this game in low spirits after a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final second leg saw the Catalan giants exit the competition.
The defeat on Merseysider’s followed a 2-0 defeat at struggling Celta Vigo in their last La Liga match. In truth, though, the team that lost against Celta was a weakened one, as they prepared for the Liverpool game.
Prior to the defeat at Celta, the champions were unbeaten in 23 matches in La Liga. They had also kept clean sheets in four of their previous five league games. Uncharacteristically for Barcelona, their recent league games have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in five of their last six La Liga matches.
Ernesto Valverde’s team has won their last six La Liga matches on home soil while keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Getafe have been La Liga’s surprise package this season. The team from the capital are currently fourth-place in the table, three points clear of fifth-place Valencia.
The visitors have been hard to beat in recent games, losing just once in their last seven La Liga outings. However, three draws in that recent run of games have meant that Getafe have failed to yet secure that lucrative Champions League spot for next season.
Getafe’s recent away matches in the Spanish top-flight have been relatively low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in six of their last nine league outings.
One factor that has hampered Getafe’s top-four challenge is their away form, as the visitors have won just one of their last ten league games on their travels.
Forebet predicts that Barcelona will record a victory in a high-scoring clash, which would mean that the fight for a Champions League spot will go to the final day of the season.