Barcelona vs Getafe Prediction: Fatigued Barca should get the job done

Barcelona are back at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cruyff on Sunday night, with Hansi Flick’s team entertaining Getafe in La Liga.

Our La Liga Betting Expert previews the action and has picked out two bets for his Barcelona vs Getafe predictions.

Off the pitch, there is still a chaotic feel to the club, with uncertainty over exactly when they will return home to Camp Nou. Their Champions League meeting with PSG in 10 days is now expected to take place at Montjuïc, following further delays to construction work at their famous old home.

However, things are going much better on the pitch. Barça have won four of their five competitive fixtures so far this term, the only exception being a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano in late August. They’ve returned from the international break with back-to-back victories over Valencia and Newcastle.

They won the first of those games 6-0, with Fermín López, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski all bagging braces. Fermín was the only one of the three to start the fixture, as Flick’s side demonstrated their strength in depth, even without the injured Lamine Yamal, by running riot in the second half.

It was always going to be tougher at St James’ Park on Thursday. The Catalans struggled in the early stages, as Newcastle pressed from the front and created a couple of clear opportunities in a goalless first half. However, the visitors gained control in midfield after the break, with Pedri running the show and they won the game thanks to another brace, this time from Marcus Rashford.

The Barça boss will be a happy man having seen his side impress without Yamal, who they were so dependent on at times last term. Rashford has not only added depth and versatility, but a different dimension to their attacking play. The likes of Fermín and Ferran Torres have also evolved into better players over the past 12 months.

Getafe will be hoping there’s a bit of fatigue in the home camp following their exertions on Tyneside. José Bordalás’ team are going well themselves, but will be aware of the immense challenge that awaits them in Barcelona this weekend.

The South Madrid club have done brilliantly to collect nine points from their opening four fixtures. They started the campaign without enough senior players to fill the bench, with a host of new signings still unregistered. The sales of Omar Alderete and Christantus Uche to Premier League clubs ultimately resolved that problem, but only after they’d already played three matches.

Uche played a big role in their opening games before signing for Crystal Palace. He was on target in a 2-0 victory at Celta Vigo on matchday one, along with Adrián Liso, who also netted twice in a 2-1 win at Sevilla the following weekend.

Defeat at Mestalla followed, but Getafe chalked up their third win by seeing off newly promoted Real Oviedo 2-0 in their first home match of the campaign last time out.

Bordalás has set up with a 5-3-2 system in all of their fixtures so far. He continues to be happy for his team to cede possession to the opposition, with Getafe averaging just a 37.4% share of the ball, the second-lowest figure in the division. They’ve looked organised defensively, and have managed to launch a few effective counter attacks in their away fixtures.

Team News

Flick has spoken of the importance of fresh legs in the build-up to this game, which suggests we’ll see some rotation from Thursday’s Champions League fixture. Ferran may return up front in place of Lewandowski, while Marc Casadó and Dani Olmo could be recalled in midfield.

Yamal remains sidelined, along with Gavi, Marc-André ter Stegen and Alejandro Balde. Pau Cubarsí picked up a knee injury against Newcastle, but is expected to be fit enough to make the squad on Sunday.

As for Getafe, having set up with a back five at home to newly promoted opposition last time out, it seems safe to assume they’ll do likewise here. An unchanged lineup is possible, with forward Juanmi Jiménez their only injury concern.

Match Odds

Barcelona are the 2/9 favourites to record their fourth win of the season in La Liga. You can back the Draw at 11/2, while Getafe are priced at 12/1 to claim what would be their first ever victory away to the Catalan giants.

They’ve lost on 16 of their previous 20 league trips to play Barcelona, and they’ve been beaten to nil on each of their last three visits. You can back the hosts to win this game to nil at 5/6, while Barça are priced at 8/13 with a -1.00 Handicap.

Both teams to score - No is available at 4/6, a winning bet in six of the last seven meetings between the clubs overall. If you’re expecting the visitors to be competitive, then Getafe are available at 23/20 with a +2.00 Handicap.

Lewandowski is the 8/11 favourite in the Anytime Goalscorer market. However, he’s far from a guaranteed starter. Ferran Torres at 1/1, and Raphinha at 23/20, may be better options. Meanwhile, Rashford is priced at 6/5 to score again, having netted his first Barcelona goals in midweek.

From a visiting perspective, you can back Liso to score anytime at 18/5, while Borja Mayoral is on offer at 10/3.

You can bet on this match via our Barcelona vs Getafe Odds page on the main betfred.com website with all the latest prices and full betting markets.

Barcelona to win and under 3.5 goals @ 1/1

This will likely be a tougher test for the hosts than the Valencia clash a week ago. Los Che crumbled in that one, but Getafe are always organised defensively, and won’t be afraid to resort to the dark arts at times, in order to disrupt the rhythm of their illustrious opponents.

This is also the first time this season when there may be a few tired legs in the Barcelona squad. They needed to work hard for their victory in England, and Flick will also be conscious that this is the first of five games in the space of 15 days.

He’s likely to rest at least one of Pedri or Frenkie de Jong, and I can’t see the hosts racking up a big victory, so I’m going with Barcelona to win and Under 3.5 goals at 1/1.

Bet Builder - Ferran Torres 3+ shots & Dani Olmo 2+ shots @ 21/20

Flick may be reluctant to leave Raphinha or Rashford out given the continued absence of Yamal, but we should see fresh legs in the other two most advanced positions.

Ferran has started all four of Barça’s league games so far, and has arguably edged ahead of Lewandowski as the preferred option up top. The Spain international has scored twice and is averaging 3.3 shots per game.

Meanwhile, Dani Olmo has only started once so far this term, but he is likely to rotate in for Fermín here, given the 22-year-old has started the last two matches. Olmo is averaging 5.69 shots per 90 minutes in La Liga. While it’s only a small sample size, he’s clearly getting into lots of promising positions.

Given that, I’m using the Bet Builder to back Ferran Torres to have 3+ shots and Dani Olmo to have 2+ shots at 21/20.

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