Preview: Tata Martino wants to avoid any surprises
Barcelona take a comfortable lead with them into the second leg match against Getafe, but Tata Martino is not convinced that the hosts have given up. In 2007, the won 5-2 in the first leg, only to allow Getafe to win 4-0 in the return leg, eventually eliminating the Blaugrana.
"We have never hidden behind the result of a previous match," Martino told the club's official website. "We will play as if the result was at 0-0."
Getafe will be up against a very difficult task. Not only will they need to overturn a four goal deficit, but their current run of form will not give them any added motivation.
The Azulones have one win from their last 6 matches in all competitions. That victory came against Girona, in the previous round of the Copa del Rey. So while progressing into the next round may be extremely difficult, Luis Garcia Plaza's side will want to at least salvage some pride.
Pedro Leon will play an important role in tonight's match, especially if Getafe want to have any chance of pulling off a shocking result. His five goals and four assists lead the club, but he will still need some help from his teammates if they are going to make positive headlines on Thursday night.
One possibly advantage for the hosts could be that with Barcelona's comfortable lead, Martino may opt to rest some players from the start.
Seeing Lionel Messi start on the bench is a strong possibility, while Marca also reported that Andres Iniesta could be rested. In his absence, it is likely that Sergi Roberto could get a start in the center of the park.
But regardless of who Barcelona puts in their starting XI, the current La Liga Champions are likely to go through to the next round. Given their depth and talent, they clearly have the upper hand. When you factor in their four goal lead, it makes things much more difficult for Getafe.
The hosts will not lay down and make things easy for the Catalans, but at the end of the day, Tata Martino's men should come out on top.
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Getafe vs Barcelona live on Thursday, January 16, 2014:
In Canada at 16:00 ET on: beIN Sports Play Canada
In the UK at 21:00 GMT on: Sky Sports 2/HD, NOW TV, Sky Go
In the USA at 16:00 ET on: beIN Sports en Español, beIN Sports Play, beIN Sports USA, TV3
For full TV listings for La Liga and this match, please visit the Getafe vs Barcelona match page.
