Getafe vs Barcelona prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-08-12 19:30.
Getafe survived one of the closest La Liga (LL) relegation fights on the final day of the last campaign, extending their six-season top-flight stay. Club legend José Bordalás returned to the dugout in the last seven games (W3, D2, L2) to script a miraculous turnaround, and they’ll be hoping not to leave things late again this season. Los Azulones made sure there’s no change in the dugout, as Bordalás signed a new contract despite speaking about moving to “a team with more ambitious goals.”
Coliseum Alfonso PĂ©rez may not be the best place to start their season though, with only three clubs picking up fewer home points than Getafe (27) in the last campaign. Such a poor record only serves to add to the anxiety prompted both by the injury to star striker Enes Ăśnal and by having lost nine of their last ten top-flight season openers (D1).
Surprisingly, playing champions Barcelona may not be a bad thing as the hosts are unbeaten across three LL H2Hs at home (W1, D2). That could make it a tricky start to Barça’s quest of replicating last year’s success where they lifted the league title by a ten-point margin whilst conceding just 20 goals. No side has won back-to-back LL titles since the Catalans themselves did in the 2018/19 season, so there’s enough motivation to start well as they seek to roll back the years.
The spanner, as usual, is in the numbers as the now-famous financial constraints continue to restrict registration of new signing İlkay Gündoğan. While that’s one thing that hasn’t changed, the defending champions will hope their poor end to last season’s away league campaign (W1, D1, L3) was just a by-product of confirming the title in advance.
Key battle: A matchday one specialist, Robert Lewandowski saw his sequence of scoring in seven straight league campaign openers end last season! To start a new sequence, he may have to go past David Soria in the Getafe goal who has clean sheets in his last three LL home H2Hs.
Hot stat: Barcelona have lost just one of their last 14 LL season openers (W12, D1), which was also their only opening day defeat as LL champions in this century.