Defending La Liga champions Barcelona will fight it out against Getafe in their seventh fixture of this year's domestic campaign on September 28 at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.
The Catalan club will be looking forward to register back-to-back wins after their victory against Villarreal last week whereas Getafe will attempt to register the second victory of their season after they were held by Valencia 3-3 in an away fixture.
Preview, Prediction and Schedule
The Catalan club after facing a major hiccup at the start of the season against Athletic Bilbao bounced back with a 5-2 home win against Real Betis.
In their third fixture of the season, they were held 2-2 by Osasuna which again was followed by a 5-2 victory against Valencia. But their opener in the UEFA Champions League saw them squeeze out a lucky draw against German club Borussia Dortmund after which they faced a heavy defeat against Granada in the domestic league by a margin of two goals.
The Catalan club then again bounced back in their last fixture at the Camp Nou beating Villarreal 2-1 and are currently placed at the seventh position in the La Liga table.
The defence has been a major concern for Ernesto Valverde's side as they have conceded 10 goals in the six matches they have played. The manager needs to organise his defence as soon as possible so that the point gap between them and the leaders does not get bigger.
The absence of Argentine star Lionel Messi has proved to be fatal for the Catalan club as the new signing Antoine Griezmann has not been able to live up to the expectations.
Barca desperately needs Messi back in the playing eleven to guide the attacking line in the right direction. The 32-year-old Argentine star is probably out of the fixture against Getafe as he picked up an adductor problem against Villarreal and is speculated to be out of the next three fixtures.
This will be a major blow for Valverde's men even though Ousmane Dembele will probably be back in the starting eleven. The Catalan club will look forward to register a rare away win this season and stay high on confidence before they host Inter Milan in the European tournament at the Camp Nou.
On the other hand, Getafe who had a decent campaign this season will look for a victory at their backyard against a Barcelona side which have not been able to register an away win this season.
The Azulones have drawn four matches and won and lost one each this season. After their brilliant performance last season as they finished fifth in the league table they will definitely aim a top-four finish this time around.
They faced a 1-0 defeat at the beginning of this year's campaign against Atletico Madrid after which they collected three points from the next three matches as they were held by Athletic Bilbao, Alaves and Real Betis respectively.
The first win of the Madrid-based club came against Mallorca as they put four past their opponents at home but again they were held 3-3 in their last fixture of the La Liga by Valencia.
The Azulones will try to take advantage of Barcelona's poor performance in away fixtures this season and the absence of Lionel Messi.
The Catalan club are the favourite to win the fixture but looking at their performance in away fixtures this season the match can end up in a draw.
Getafe can also produce an upset against a Barcelona side which have been conceding a lot this season. The scoreline will probably be 3-2 in favour of Barcelona.
The Barcelona-Getafe match will start at 4 PM local time and 7.30 PM according to IST on September 28.
Live Streaming: How and where to watch in India
The match will not be telecasted in India as Sony Sports network did not get the broadcasting rights. The fixture will be streamed live on the official La Liga page on Facebook.
