La Liga: Barca Determined to Show Championship Pedigree

Getafe vs Barcelona

Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona aim to remind everyone what their club is all about as their championship revenge tour continues at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez versus Getafe tomorrow.

The La Liga runner-ups from last season plan on making a huge statement with a victory as club football is resumed after some international action.

The Catalan giants have seven points and are level with the hosts after three matchdays and a win here could push either one of them back to the top of the table.

However, they would need to proceed with caution as Jose Bordalas’ men aren’t pushovers by any means. In fact, Los Azulones punched above their weight by finishing eighth last season.

Getafe would surely like to make amends for last season’s shortcomings, and passing this test on their home pitch should help them immensely.

SBOTOP writers like me have Barcelona winning comfortably for this upcoming fixture, especially looking at their last few encounters.

Can Jose Bordalas’ men put up a fight against Ronald Koeman’s no-nonsense-minded group? Let us take a look at both of these teams via this preview.

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Talking Points

Getafe to feature a new look

Los Azulones just announced few days ago that they are in for a club name change.

Getafe will now be called Fe CF which translates to “Faith CF” as a reflection of what the club stands for to everything that’s happened in this tough 2020 calendar year.

But how will this translate on to the pitch? Not much, really. However, Jose Bordalas’ men can give their fans something to be hopeful for with their play.

They started their 2020/21 campaign on a decent note by gathering wins over Osasuna and Real Betis, while drawing level against Alaves, although they lost against Real Sociedad before the international break.

Jaime Mata, who led the team in scoring last term, continues to be the leader for Getafe by opening his account with two goals already.

Marc Cucurella, who is originally from Barcelona, added one as well and he continues to pour in La Liga 2020 highlights for the team through his pace and flair.

Nemanja Maksimovic, Cucho Hernandez, and Mauro Arambarri will also support Getafe’s offence. However, it will be hard to see them outscore a deep Barcelona team.

Getafe are currently in seventh place in the La Liga table — Getafe manager Jose Bordalas coaches squad by the sidelines in Europa League Group C match against Basel at St. Jakob-Park

Barcelona missing key players

Getafe may have some semblance of hope for this fixture due to absences of some of the Blaugrana’s mainstays.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Junior Firpo, Samuel Umtiti, and Jordi Alba are doubts due to injuries, which may leave them vulnerable particularly on the defencive end.

With that said, this will be the ideal time for Ronald Koeman to bring in some of their newest acquisitions to get their feet wet.

Miralem Pjanic, Sergino Dest, and Francisco Trincao could all make their first starts in La Liga while Philippe Coutinho could get the nod if ever they will rest Lionel Messi.

After winning their first two contests against Villarreal and Celta Vigo in dominating fashion, they shared the spoils against Sevilla with a 1-1 tally before the international break.

It has been so far so good for manager Ronald Koeman. But whether he can tow the Catalan giants to championship anew remains to be seen.

History

Getafe have a lot of work to do to somehow make this a closer head-to-head matchup.

In their 34 games together, Barcelona won in 25 while Getafe won in three along with six draws.

Last season, the Catalan giants defeated Los Azulones by scoring at least two goals and many bettors expect the same outcome on Saturday evening.

Betting Tip

	Getafe vs Barcelona	Barcelona Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 1.97
	October 18, 03:00(GMT+8)

As mentioned, Barcelona are expected to cruise past Getafe for this matchup.

The latest La Liga 2020 odds have them priced at 1.77 to win, while Getafe are pegged at 4.40 and a draw is at 3.60, as per the 1×2 market.

Goals can come in bunches, but it is expected that Barca will be the ones who will pour it on. Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.45 is a good place to bet while Over 2.50 @ 1.91 is also a likely possibility.

These are two sides who have had a strong start to the 2020/21 season, so this should be a cracker of a match.

However, Barcelona’s depth might prove to be the difference as they have much better quality all over. Expect them to take care of business this weekend.