Getafe vs Barcelona

Barcelona’s La Liga title defense gets underway at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez against perennial relegation strugglers Getafe.

Getafe endured a grueling 2022/23 La Liga season by staving off the relegation zone by only two points, settling for a third consecutive 15th-place finish and, consequentially, a seventh top-flight campaign in a row. Jose Bordalas’ return to the dugout for the last seven matches (W3, D2, L2) proved a season-defining decision from the board. Bordalas continued to script Getafe’s resurgence during pre-season, with ‘El Geta’ racking up four wins in six summer friendlies (L2), bolstering their spirits ahead of a challenging La Liga opener against Barcelona. Getafe couldn’t have hoped for a worse opposition to kick things off in 2023/24, as they’re winless in their last five league H2Hs (D2, L3), drawing a blank in both meetings in 2022/23. Moreover, only three sides gathered fewer home points than Getafe (27) in the previous campaign.

In stark contrast to their hosts, Barcelona went from strength to strength last term to wrestle back La Liga supremacy for the first time since 2018/19. Defensive solidity highlighted Barca’s triumphant league campaign as they conceded only 20 goals, at least 13 fewer than any other La Liga club. Title-winning manager Xavi Hernandez will expect his side to regain focus after suffering three defeats in four league matches after being crowned new champions in 2022/23 (W1). The Catalan heavyweights must recover from losing quicksilver forward Ousmane Dembele to PSG without finding a replacement. Four wins in five pre-season fixtures (L1) should keep their confidence high, especially considering three of them came against AC Milan, Real Madrid, and Tottenham.