Getafe vs. Barcelona Preview

FC Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from their mediocre win against Valencia with an emphatic game against Getafe on Saturday.

The Catalans, however, have several fitness issues in the team with Andres Iniesta, Alexis Sanchez and Jordi Alba, all, ruled out of the clash.

Captain Carles Puyol's participation is still up in smoke, but David Villa could start his first game for Barcelona after more than eight months.

Former Gunner Alex Song too could find his name in the starting eleven, but that looks highly unlikely.

Getafe, on the other hand, have no injury concerns and with the home supporters cheering on for their team, a shock is very much a possibility. El Geta have already defeated Real Madrid this season and an usual double could well be a remarkable achievement for El Geta.

Player to Watch Out For: Pedro Rodriguez

After a horrendous last season, Pedro is finally back. The Spaniard is in excellent form so far and it appears as if Barcelona have finally found a player who could release some pressure off Lionel Messi for producing the goods in the final third.

In the absence of Iniesta and Sanchez, Pedro will be a shoo-in for the game and the winder will have the at his optimum best and ensure that Barcelona go home with the required three points.

His glittering pace and wonderful dribbling abilities will surely trouble Getafe's defence and one could surely expect the Messi-Pedro duo to produce some fireworks on the football pitch.  

Projected Lineups:

Getafe: Moya; Valera, Alexis, Abraham, Torres; Michel, Torres, Leon, Barrada, Lafita;Miku

Barcelona: Valdez; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Adriano; Busquets, Xavi, Fabregas; Pedro, Messi, Villa

Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Getafe

Barcelona often struggle against weaker opponents and some do think that they might drop some valuable points over the weekend.

However, I do see the Catalans prevailing, but not without some fierce difficulties, particularly in the absence of Andres Iniesta.

The latter has been arguably their best player after Lionel Messi over the past 12 months and with it'll be interesting to see how the team would be able to cope up without the 28-year-old