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Lionel Messi & Co. Obliged to Beat Getafe

Barcelona Five Points behind Atletico Madrid in La Liga Title Race

After losing “El Clasico” against Real Madrid everybody thought Barcelona was done, but Lionel Messi Co. just won their 31st Copa del Rey and depend only on themselves to win their 27th La Liga title.

Let’s take a look at the latest team and player news, stats, injury reports and the La Liga Odds for Barcelona vs Getafe while making some predictions.

Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi kicks the ball during the Spanish League football match
LLUIS GENE / AFP

Game: Barcelona vs Getafe

Location: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Time: Thursday, April 22, 4 p.m. ET

Television: beIN Sports

Live Stream: fuboTV

La Liga Betting Lines

Team Handicap Moneyline Over/Under Team Total
Barcelona -1½ -135 -450 3
Getafe +1½ +115 +1200 3 ½
Draw +530

Head to Head

  • Competitive Matches: 35
  • Barcelona Victories: 25 (79 goals)
  • Getafe Victories: 4 (27 goals)
  • Draws: 6

The last time they met, Getafe defeated Barcelona 1-0 thanks to a penalty goal from Jaime Mata. That was Getafe’s fourth all-time victory against Barcelona, who previously had 15 consecutive games without losing against them.

Barcelona owns an 8-1-1 record in the last 10 games against Getafe. During that span, they scored 24 goals and allowed just four, finished with a clean sheet six times and failed to score only twice.

Getafe has never beaten Barcelona two games in a row.

Why bet on Barcelona?

Winning the Copa del Rey title took some pressure off the team, because no matter what happens in La Liga, they’re not going blank this season, something that could still happen to Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

“It’s reassuring to have one title in our hands and now go for a second one,” said manager Ronald Koeman after beating Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in the Copa del Rey Grand Finale. Koeman also hopes for Lionel Messi to stay: “It’s up to him to decide his own future, but like our president said, we’re trying our best to make Leo stay here for many years.”

Barcelona won four of their last five La Liga games. They’re in third place with 65 points, five points less than Atletico Madrid, but they’ve played one game less, that’s why they depend only on themselves to win the title, because they also will collide with Atletico Madrid in May.

No team in La Liga scores more goals than Barcelona, 2.3 goals per game, and the team also owns the fourth best defensive unit after allowing 26 goals in 30 games.

Lionel Messi is the team’s top scorer with 23 goals, but he hasn’t scored in their last two La Liga games, a streak that I don’t think will last long. More recently, Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann have been playing really well, becoming Messi’s partners in crime.

Barcelona owns a 10-4-1 record when playing at Camp Nou. They also are 6-7-2 against the spread and 7-6-2 over/under. Their only home loss was against Real Madrid.

For next Thursday, manager Ronald Koeman can’t count on Ansu Fati, Philippe Coutinho, Neto and Martin Braithwaite due to injury. Barcelona’s expected lineup is Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Clement Lenglet, Sergino Dest, Oscar Mingueza, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi.

Why Bet on Getafe?

Don’t look at the standings, because Getafe comes in fifteenth place with just 31 points, look at their last game against Barcelona, and their last weekend’s game against Real Madrid. They managed to beat Barcelona 1-0 and draw 0-0 against “Los Blancos”, who are also fighting for the title.

Getafe drew in four of their last five La Liga games, and they can’t afford to lose many more points, because they’re trying to get away from the relegation zone. Right now, they’re four points away from Valladolid, who sits in eighteenth place.

Their road record isn’t good either, as they’re 2-4-7, and they also are 2-7-4 against the spread and 7-6 over/under. Some good news for Getafe, because 40% of Barcelona’s La Liga home games this season have seen both sides score before halftime.

Erick Cabaco and Juan Camilo Hernandez remain injured, while Enes Unal is back, but that doesn’t change the fact they come in as sports betting underdogs. Their expected lineup is David Soria, David Timor, Mathias Olivera, Djene Dakonam, Allan Nyom, Carles Alena, Enes Unal, Mauro Arambarri, Nemanja Maksimovic, Marc Cucurella and Jaime Mata.

Final Analysis and Predictions

Barcelona’s spirit is through the skies, and they’ve won five or their last 10 games against Getafe by two or more goals. Also, in five of the last 10 games between them, Barcelona won both halves; you can go to our Soccer Props to predict if it will happen again.

Lionel Messi Co. title chances will be on the line. Barcelona needs to win in order to keep up with Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Getafe will put up a fight, but it will not be enough.

Pick: Barcelona -450

Pick: Over 3 Goals (+105)

Score Prediction: Barcelona 3, Getafe 1

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