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Barcelona vs Getafe

By Simon Hopper

Last updated: 15:04 Sunday, November 23, 2008

When you are without a win in 5 games, a trip to the Nou Camp is not usually high on the agenda but that’s the dilemma Getafe are faced with on Sunday evening as they try to work out how to stop all-conquering Barcelona.

In fact, the Madrid club are currently in the middle of an absolute nightmare five game streak of facing Valencia, Sevilla, Barcelona, Real Madrid & Villarreal in successive games – they haven’t taken anything from the first two and it’s hard to see how they will rectify that form here.

Some in the Spanish media have suggested Barcelona might struggle when they face the other top sides in Spain; those fixtures will come soon enough, but until then the rest of Europe can continue to enjoy the Blaugrana steam-roller their way through the league’s lesser lights. Pep Guardiola’s side have won their last 9 consecutive league games to move 3 points clear at the Spanish summit and unsurprisingly they are 1/5 to make it ten in a row at the fortress Nou Camp. In their last 3 home games, Barca have scored an absolutely terrifying 17 goals, averaging over 5.5 a game and almost a goal every 15 minutes. Atletico Madrid (6-1), Almeria (5-0) & Valladolid (6-0) have all felt the wrath of this awesome Catalan front-line and one British firm is as short as 33/1 on the hosts to win this one 7-0, with most feeling the need to price score-lines right up to 10-0.

So is there any hope for the visitors here? They did get a point here (0-0) last term and even turned Barca over at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez with a 2-0 victory last season. But their recent form is truly terrible: they were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey by bottom side Osasuna last week and a draw at 19th place Recreativo followed by comfortable home defeats at the hands of Valencia (0-3) & Sevilla (0-2) doesn’t bode well here. They are 16/1 to pull of the shock of the season.

The bookies are really tight on any Barcelona cricket score this time: over 2.5 goals is as short as 9/20 and the hosts are odds-on in most places to cover a 2 goal deficit on the asian handicap. However, while Lionel Messi and co. have been rightly receiving all the plaudits in recent weeks, the Blaugrana back-line has been equally as impressive and Barcelona to win to nil at 5/6 looks the bet of the evening. Puyol et al have conceded just 2 goals in their last 9 games in all competitions; a truly outstanding achievement. They haven’t conceded in any of their last 3 games (over 4 hours of football) and they are coming up against one of the lowest scoring sides in the division for this one. Getafe have managed just 1 goal in their last 5 games and couldn’t even find the back of the net in over 180 minutes of their recent cup tie with rock-bottom Osasuna. They have managed just 1 goal in 4 visits to the Nou Camp since their promotion in 2004/05 and we wouldn’t expect that tally to increase on Sunday: expect the home defence to do their job while the forward line terrorise yet another visiting club.

Recommended Bets - 4 pts - Barcelona To Win To Nil, 5/6 Paddy Power