Paul Higham thinks Barcelona represent a value play against Getafe with more than enough quality to put away a side with some woeful stats on the road.
Barcelona have big problems after the departure of Lionel Messi, but Memphis Depay gave them a hint that he could possibly be their next hero after he rescued a point against Athletic Bilbao last week.
Next up is what should be a confidence booster at home to struggling Getafe – who have lost both games so far this season without even managing to score a goal.
Ronald Koeman has plenty of injuries to deal with and is without the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Ansu Fati, but he’ll still fancy an emphatic victory given Getafe have conceded at least four goals at the Nou Camp in five of their last 10 trips.
Getafe have real problems scoring goals away from home – they drew a blank in 21 La Liga games last season and have only managed to score in three of their last 11 away games.
Barca didn’t have any troubles scoring in the home opener this season with a 4-2 success against Real Sociedad, but that was the fourth time in five home league matches that they’ve let in two goals – which included Getafe in a 5-2 loss last season.
So while a win to nil looks a distinct possibility these stats offer just enough worry to swerve that option and instead look towards goals being scored.
And the lack of Messi being around means that we get a bit more value for money from the bookmakers who feel that Barca aren’t the dead certs they were when the GOAT was playing for them.
They’re still more than good enough to stick a few past Getafe though and a Barcelona win with over 2.5 goals can be backed at what looks a generous 2.47/5 on the Exchange due to all the uncertainty around Barca.
The quality is still there for Koeman and it should be enough to put bad sides like Getafe away comfortably.
Source: Betfair Spanish La Liga
