Magical Messi must be backed at 3.75 to open the scoring against Getafe
Getafe have won just three of their last 15 La Liga matches – the club’s worst ever starts to a Spanish top-flight campaign – and the Madrid-based side’s record against Barcelona (Getafe have won just one of their 14 previous league matches against Barca) suggests that they will do well to turn the corner on Saturday night, with Pep Guardiola’s men visiting the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
That Barca are second in the league at present is more a measure of Real Madrid’s outstanding form rather than being indicative of any sort of decline in the Catalan outfit’s form. Indeed, though held to a draw in their penultimate Primera Liga fixture by Athletic de Bilbao, Barcelona have won all three of their subsequent games, including a 4-0 demolition of Zaragoza last weekend, and go into this game on a 16-match unbeaten run.
Guardiola saw his side emerge victorious following a thrilling Champions League match against AC Milan in Italy during the week. Lionel Messi, currently the top La Liga scorer with 15 goals, was on target as the reigning European and Spanish champions saw off a dogged Rossoneri, winning 3-2. Messi is likely to play his usual role this weekend, with David Villa, who ended a run of six games without a goal against Zaragoza, leading the line.
Andres Iniesta’s injury frustration looks set to continue – he’s likely to miss out this weekend owing to a thigh strain – but Pedro is available for selection following an ankle problem, and Guardiola will be able to deploy his favoured centre-back partnership, with Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique both fully fit, while Dani Alves is likely to be in the starting XI after missing the Champions League match at the San Siro.
The Blaugrana should win with authority as they maintain their pursuit of Real Madrid. The irrepressible Messi is never going to be a big price to score first in a match, but his record is nothing short of phenomenal, and at 3.75 with bet365 and Victor Chandler he’s worth backing to make the net rustle first in this fixture.