Preview: How to watch Barca vs Getafe live

La Liga: How to watch Barcelona vs Getafe live on January 22, 2023

January 22, 2023 By Ali M.

Topics: TV Schedules, Barcelona, Getafe, La Liga

The Blaugrana can go six points clear at the top temporarily with a win on Sunday. Here's a preview of this interesting Spanish top-flight showdown.

Another round of La Liga fixtures are scheduled for Sunday, with Barcelona being one of many teams taking to the field as the Spanish giants look to go six points ahead in the table temporarily. However, to achieve that, Xavi's men must beat Getafe, whom they will face at Camp Nou at 12:30 p.m. ET.

The last time the Blaugrana were in action in the Spanish top flight was two weeks ago, beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the infamous Wanda Metropolitano. That game, which saw Ferran Torres get sent off after a ridiculous tussle with Stefan Savic, helped the league leaders stretch their unbeaten run to seven games.

However, Pedri and Co. have not been resting since. In fact, Barcelona have played three matches since the victory over Los Rojiblancos, two of which came in the Supercopa de Espana, which they won.

Xavi's men kicked off the tournament in Saudi Arabia with a semifinal showdown with Real Betis, which proved to be a lot trickier than it needed to be. Barcelona took the lead against Pellegrini's side twice, and in both instances, they threw it away, conceding the first equalizer 13 minutes before the end of normal time while the second came in extra time.

Fortunately, the Catalan outfit were not punished as they eventually won on penalties, thus setting up a juicy showdown with Real Madrid in the final. However, while El Clasico is typically a tightly-contested affair, this one was far from it, as goals from Lewandowski, Gavi, and Pedri led them to a convincing 3-1 victory.

That was Xavi's first piece of silverware since returning to his boyhood club as a manager. However, the big prize is what matters as Barcelona will want to maintain their impressive La Liga form and lift the top-flight title at the end of the season.

As mentioned earlier, the hosts have the opportunity to go six points clear at the top. This is because second-placed Real Madrid, who are currently only three points adrift, will not play until after this Camp Nou tie wraps up. And with Los Blancos facing Athletic Club, a Barcelona victory will be the right type of pressure to put on the defending champions ahead of their crucial tie.

Unfortunately for Getafe, while the opposition enter this match on the back of tremendous form, they don't. The visitors head to Camp Nou having lost all of their last three outings, and while one was a Copa del Rey defeat to Levante, that does little to quiet the upset.

As a result, it comes as little surprise to see Azulones in a relegation battle. With the club averaging only a point per game so far (17 points from their first 17 matches), Quique Sanchez Flores's side are only outside the danger zone due to a superior goal difference over 18th-placed Real Valladolid.

Regardless, while the away side are only one point above Cadiz, who are second from last, they are also only three behind 12th-placed Espanyol. This means that things could either quickly deteriorate or improve for Getafe.

Additionally, Ünal and Co. boast an impressive form away from home and that should give them confidence for Sunday's game. However, Camp Nou is a fortress and it will be a daunting task to come away from there with a positive result.

Team news

Barcelona: Xavi has no injury concerns but this does not mean all is well for the home side. Both Lewandowski and Torres will miss this tie due to suspension, which is a huge blow, and with Memphis Depay having gone to Atletico, the hosts will be short on attackers. De Jong and Araujo sat out the club's recent win over Ceuta but should return to the lineup while Ansu Fati could start as the no.9.

Getafe: Mauro Arambarri is a doubt for this tie but have no other concerns. Enes Unal is the man to watch as he is the visitors' top scorer this season with five goals and will want to get on the scoresheet at Camp Nou.

Key stats

Barcelona have the best home form in La Liga this season, going unbeaten in eight games (W6, D2).
Getafe, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four outings in the Spanish top flight.
However, the visitors have gone unbeaten in their last four league meetings with the Blaugrana, winning one and drawing the other (D2).
Xavi's men have won all but one of their last 10 games, with that slip-up being a 1-1 draw with Espanyol in the Catalan Derby.