THE La Liga title race is hurtling towards a thrilling conclusion and Barcelona can ill afford a slip-up when Getafe come calling if they are out to edge out Real and Atletico to seize the crown.
Barca are playing catch up after they were in Copa del Rey action at the weekend, thrashing Athletic Bilbao 4-0 to lift the silverware.
Atletico Madrid battered Eibar 5-0 to move five points ahead of Ronald Koeman's men but they have played a game more.
Real Madrid moved above Barcelona with a win in El Clasico, with my tip of a one-goal winning margin landing, only for Zinedine Zidane's men to drop points in their next game as they drew 0-0 with Getafe.
That match proved José Bordalás' men are no pushovers and Getafe need the points just as much as Barca as they bid to stay clear of the La Liga drop zone.
They also beat Barcelona earlier this season and managed to shut out Atletico in another stalemate last month so this game is a potential banana skin for Koeman's title chasers.
How the bookies view it
After the impressive display against Bilbao it's no surprise to see Barcelona as hot favourites. They are a best 1/4 at SBK while Getafe are as big as 29/2 with the same firm and the stalemate 29/5.
Recent head to head
While Getafe won the last meeting 1-0 back in October (below) their record in this fixture before that was poor. Barcelona were unbeaten in 17 against Getafe before that game, winning 14 of them.
Players to watch
Lionel Messi was magnificent in the Copa del Rey final but is only worth considering for accas as anytime scorer here, at a best 3/5 with Unibet. Antoine Griezmann (below) also scored against Bilbao so might be a better investment at 11/8 with the same firm.
Getafe have struggled for goals of late, netting just once in their last five matches. Midfielder Marc Cucurella has three for the season so might be worth a punt for a long-odds option at 14/1 with Bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
The stats point towards a low-scoring game, with Getafe shutting out each of the top three this season. Barca also struggled in their last home game, edging out Valladolid 1-0, so I fancy under 2.5 goals here at 5/4 with TonyBet.
The same firm are offering a 23/20 on Barcelona winning either 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 and that looks good value given Getafe's goal drought.
With Getafe sitting deep, Koeman's players might try a few pot-shots from distance and William Hill are offering 29/20 on a goal being scored from outside the area.
This La Liga match between Barcelona and Getafe will be played on Apr 22, 2021 and kick off at 21:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Getafe prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
