FC Barcelona (1st, 82pts) vs Getafe CF (6th, 44pts)
Competition/Round: 2025-26 La Liga, Matchday 32
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Eric Garcia (out)
Getafe Outs & Doubts: Juanmi, Borja Mayoral, Zaid Romero (out), Mario Martín (doubt)
Barcelona Form Guide: WLWWW
Getafe Form Guide: LWWLW
Date/Time: Saturday, April 25, 2026, 4.15pm CET/WAT (Barcelona), 3.15pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 10.15am ET, 7.15am PT (USA), 7.45pm IST (India)
Venue: Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, Madrid, Spain
Referee: Francisco José Hernández
Maeso
VAR: Javier Iglesias Villanueva
How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), SuperSport (Nigeria), Movistar (Spain), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), LaLigaTV (UK), FanCode (India), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following a hard-fought win at home to Celta Vigo in midweek, Barcelona are right back in action looking to take another big step towards clinching the La Liga title when they travel to Madrid to face Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Saturday afternoon.
Barça come into this one with the opportunity to effectively wrap up the league thanks to La Masia’s own Héctor Bellerín’s last-second equalizer for Real Betis against Real Madrid in Seville on Friday. The Blaugrana could finish the weekend 11 points clear with five games to go, making it even more likely that Barça will have a chance to clinch the title simply by avoiding defeat El Clásico in two weeks.
There are still two tough away matches to be played before then, however, and the first is an absolutely brutal test against José Bordalás’ Getafe. Here’s everything you need to know about the way they play: it’s ugly, it sucks, it’s unwatchable, it warrants a red card pretty much every other game, and yet somehow Getafe sit sixth in the table with a real chance to play in Europe next season.
Getafe have scored the second-fewest goals in the league but have at the same time conceded the third-fewest, and they just won a game 1-0 at Anoeta without a single shot on target thanks to an own goal by Real Sociedad. Yep, their attack is that bad, but their defense is legit good.
(By the way, La Liga’s best defense? Barcelona! But hey, that high line is terrible, amirite?!)
Despite how bad it is to watch, Getafe’s style has undoubtedly worked. Their results in the last two months have been legitimately impressive, including wins at the Bernabéu and at Anoeta and home victories against Villarreal, Real Betis and Athletic Club. They make it ugly, they annoy the hell out of everybody they face, but somehow they’re in a race for Europe. It’s tough to explain.
What is not tough to explain, however, is their success at home against Barça. The last time the Blaugrana won away to Getafe was in September 2019, when Luis Suárez led the way in place of the injured Lionel Messi as Barça won 2-0. The last five meetings have resulted in four draws (three of them 0-0) and one Getafe win, and Barça have scored just one goal at the Coliseum this decade.
There is no team in the world that Bordalás likes to annoy more than Barça, and Getafe just know how to get under the Blaugrana’s skin. They are extra physical (and the referees allow it), park the bus without any shame and just kick everything in sight, whether it’s a ball, a leg, a foot, an ankle, or anything else that allows them to irritate Barça and waste as much time as possible.
Barça have been through it enough to know exactly what’s coming, and they must be ready to dish out some punishment back while also focusing on play well enough to create and finish their chances. Getafe have been at their best against the best teams in the league, so something is clearly working in high-profile games. This will be brutal, and the quality of the performance simply does not matter when facing Getafe away. It’s all about the result, and a win will pretty much clinch the league. Can Barça finally step up and beat Getafe at their own game?
Let’s da… Nah. Let’s fight.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; Gavi, Pedri; Roony, Fermín, Rashford; Ferran
Getafe (5-3-2): Soria; Kiko, Boselli, Abqar, Duarte, Iglesias; Milla, Djené, Arambarri; Vázquez, Satriano
PREDICTION
There’s really no explanation for how Getafe are doing this, but they’re doing it, and they haven’t lost at home to Barça in this decade. This will be brutal, physical, and borderline unwatchable, but I’m somehow choosing to believe we’ll find a way to finally win one at the Coliseum, even without Lamine Yamal and Raphinha: 1-0 Barça. Yeah, that ugly.
