Barcelona Face Tricky Tie Against Getafe Without Messi

Barcelona will be aiming to close the gap on Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the top of the Spanish League as the Catalans face Getafe in Saturday’s fixture at Coliseum Alfonso Pérez without talisman, Lionel Messi.

The Argentine picked up a thigh strain in the win over Valencia and no timescale has been given for his recovery.

Barca will be looking for only their fourth win of the season when they travel to Madrid, with Ernesto Valverde under increasing pressure.

Getafe, meanwhile, are winless in four but have lost just once this term.

Head to Head

The clubs first met for an official fixture in the 1978 Copa del Rey, and the unfancied Getafe managed an impressive 3-3 draw at home before being thumped 8-0 at Camp Nou.

Getafe have only scored two goals in the last eight meetings against Barça, which have included two 6-0 drubbings, but also a couple of 0-0 draws.

Since becoming a first division club in 2004, Getafe have faced Valverde’s side 27 times and only won two of those encounters, the last time in 2011.

​Possible Lineups

Getafe: Soria; Suárez, Dakonam, Cabrera; Nyom, Fajr, Maksimović, Arambarri; Kenedy, Mata, Rodríguez

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Firpo; Busquets, De Jong, Arthur, Dembélé; Griezmann, Suárez