FC Barcelona

Barcelona are reportedly expected signed Leganes striker Martin Braithwaite on Wednesday, according to ESPN FC.

Barcelona expect to complete a deal for Leganes forward Martin Braithwaite today after being granted permission to make a signing outside the transfer window, sources have told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/lrC6uOgSYa

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 19, 2020

Barca were granted permission to make an emergency signing outside of the transfer window after Ousmane Dembele was ruled out for six months following hamstring surgery earlier in February. 

They'll also be without Luis Suarez until May after he had knee surgery in January.

The signing has to be either a free agent or from within Spain.

Football writer Zach Lowy feels for Leganes, who sit 19th in La Liga, two points from safety:

1) Barcelona sell 2 forwards (Carles Pérez & Abel Ruíz) and don’t sign a replacement despite Suárez’s season-ending injury.

2) Barcelona set to sign Leganés’s top scorer, who are unable to sign a replacement.

There isn’t a better metaphor for the inequality in football today.

— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) February 18, 2020

So too does sports writer and commentator Andy West, who also doubted Braithwaite would be a good acquisition for the Blaugrana:

Barça signing Martin Braithwaite is a rare example of a lose, lose, lose deal.
- Barça waste decent money on a player who isn't good enough for them
- Leganes will get relegated after losing their key striker
- Braithwaite goes from being a pivotal player to sitting on the bench

— Andy West (@andywest01) February 18, 2020

The 28-year-old hasn't been a particularly prolific striker over the course of his career, in which he has scored 92 goals for club and country.

This season, he has eight goals in 27 matches for Leganes in all competitions, including six of their 18 goals in La Liga.

He has a useful habit of breaking deadlocks, though:

5 - Only Karim Benzema for Real Madrid (seven) has scored the first goal of the game more times than Leganes’ Martin Braithwaite in @LaLigaEN this season (five, level with Antoine Griezmann). Opener. pic.twitter.com/Ye6fM9jaky

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 18, 2020

The forward will have much more creativity around him at Barcelona than he does at Leganes, so he'll have the chance to show what he can do with better service if the signing goes through.

He'll add plenty of pace to the side, too, something Barca don't have an abundance of in the final third without Dembele, and he can provide cover on the left as well as through the middle.

It is perhaps a strange decision to go for Braithwaite over Getafe's Angel Rodriguez, though. Rodriguez turns 33 in April, but his buyout clause is only €10 million, and he has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season.

Gerard Pique has added more fuel to the controversy surrounding Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, calling a journalist defending him a "puppet" on social media.

The Spanish Football Podcast shared the tweet:

In case you missed this last night... Gerard Piqué's one-word reply to a journalist defending Bartomeu: "puppet" https://t.co/PBWLMEsceS

— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) February 19, 2020

According to AS' Santi Gimenez, the reporter, Marcal Lorente, is a defender of Bartomeu and spoke of "knowing the inner workings of Barca and being able to 'identify' with those who want to destroy" it. That prompted Pique's reply.

The defender's tweet came after a reported meeting between himself, other captains, manager Quique Setien and Bartomeu, in which the latter explained himself.

Radio station SER (h/t Gimenez) has accused Bartomeu of running a campaign against several figures at the club, including Pique and Lionel Messi, by hiring a media company called I3 Venture.

The company supposedly created online accounts that would protect the reputation of Bartomeu and deflect attention by attacking others. The president has denied those accusations, saying he did hire the company, but only to provide social services for the club:

.@jmbartomeu denies FC Barcelona have contracted services to 'disparage people or institutions via social networks' pic.twitter.com/NJdveMUPph

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 18, 2020

Per ESPN FC's Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden, the Blaugrana have threatened legal action over the accusations. SER provided a further report, although sports writer Andrew Gaffney didn't see any proof in them:

Not sure I see this proof of Bartomeu/Barça paying certain influencers and accounts based on SER's 'smoking gun' document. It looks like a basic report on the good and bad things which were said about the club and Bartomeu on social media.#ad 😉

— Andrew Gaffney (@GaffneyVLC) February 18, 2020

According to ESPN FC, one of the criticisms allegedly aimed at Pique involved his organising the new Davis Cup, which changed format in 2019.

Club legends Xavi Hernandez, Carles Puyol and Pep Guardiola were reportedly also targets, as well as presidential candidates Agusti Benedito and Victor Font. The former has threatened legal action against Bartomeu if the allegations are proven.

It's but the latest controversy in what has been an arduous season for the Catalans. Earlier this month, RAC-1 (h/t Juan Jimenez of AS) reported Bartomeu had to schedule an urgent meeting to clear the air between Messi and director Eric Abidal.

The latter gave an interview in which he said some players didn't work had enough under former manager Ernesto Valverde, who was sacked in January. That prompted a response from Messi on Instagram, asking to name the players.

On the pitch, Barcelona have stabilised since Valverde's sacking, winning their last three La Liga matches.

Barcelona are reportedly closing in on the signing of Martin Braithwaite as their injury replacement for Ousmane Dembele. 

According to Sport, the Blaugrana have decided to pay the forward's €18 million buyout clause. The deal could be concluded on Tuesday or Wednesday after La Liga gave the club permission to sign cover for Dembele on Monday.

La Liga allows the signing of a replacement player outside the transfer window as cover for a long-term injury. The player has to be a free agent or already registered in Spain, however.

Braithwaite's agents are said to be negotiating a deal until 2023.

The 28-year-old has scored six goals in La Liga so far this season, leading 19th-placed Leganes in the scoring charts. His last goal came in the 2-2 draw against Real Valladolid on January 3:

He joined Los Pepineros on loan from Middlesbrough in January 2019, and the move was made permanent in the summer. He's also a full Denmark international.

The decision to add Braithwaite is somewhat surprising, with several other options available:

Deportes Cuatro say Cristhian Stuani is Barça's no.1 target if they're allowed to sign an emergency striker, ahead of Ángel, Loren, Willian José https://t.co/PiNMxEBNpk

— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) February 5, 2020

Real Sociedad's Willian Jose seemed a particularly good fit after losing his starting position to the in-form Alexander Isak. Club manager Imanol Alguacil told reporters (h/t AS) the team wouldn't part with him for less than his €70 million release clause, however.

According to Sport, Getafe's Angel Rodriguez has a buyout clause of just €10 million. He was another strong candidate and netted at the Camp Nou in Saturday's 2-1 loss.

The signing of Braithwaite is a controversial one, with Leganes powerless to stop one of their best players from leaving due to a mandatory buyout clause. The club are in the midst of a relegation battle and can't sign a replacement.

Spanish football writers Dermot Corrigan and Colin Millar both thought it a bad look for the league and noted Barcelona put themselves in this position with poor squad planning:

Especially as its hardly a surprise Barca are short of strikers / Dembele and Suarez were already in January / they allowed Carles Perez and Abel Ruiz to leave for accounting reasons.

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) February 18, 2020

This entire episode comes about because Barcelona made a total mess of their squad planning, and willingly sold two young forwards - without replacements - less than three weeks ago. Now Leganes are punished. This is just wrong. So, so wrong.

— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) February 17, 2020

The Catalans parted with prospects Abel Ruiz and Carles Perez in January without signing replacements. Luis Suarez was already sidelined with an injury when those two left, and Dembele has a lengthy injury history that should have made the Blaugrana more cautious.

As a result, Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Ansu Fati are the only remaining true forwards in the squad. Full-back Junior Firpo has provided emergency cover in a more advanced role, but with Jordi Alba suffering an injury against Getafe, he's needed in defence.

Barcelona have denied a report they hired a PR company to attack the images of players such as Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique.

Football journalist Dermot Corrigan relayed a statement from the club:

Barca have just issued statement saying they "deny completely contracting anybody to make negative comments on social media about anybody related to the club."

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) February 17, 2020

Catalunya SER radio show Que T'hi Jugues (h/t Sport) had reported Barcelona had hired company I3 Ventures to protect the reputation of president Josep Maria Bartomeu and damage the image of Messi, Pique and former coaches and players Pep Guardiola, Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol via posts on social media.

It's said I3 Ventures run a number of accounts on various social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter.

Que T'hi Jugues shared examples of posts criticising figures connected to the club:

📲 Alguns exemples de publicacions d'aquests comptes "no oficials" de l'empresa amb què treballa el Barça per generar opinió a les xarxes: pic.twitter.com/RnBKp3hyuB

— Què T'hi Jugues (@QueThiJugues) February 17, 2020

Tom Allnutt of AFP shared further comment from Barcelona on the matter:

Adds the club "demands immediate rectification of the information and reserves the right to take the appropriate legal action against anyone who continues to involve the Club in this type of practice."

— Tom Allnutt (@TomAllnutt_) February 17, 2020

In their statement, the club added that while I3 Ventures is a "service provider" for Barcelona, the company "has no relationship with the accounts mentioned and, if any relationship was to come to light, the club would immediately end their contractual agreement."

The club also confirmed that they do contract services to monitor social media and how the club is perceived, both positively and negatively, but their goal is only to protect the reputations of the club and those connected.

Barcelona have endured a difficult start to 2020 on and off the pitch.

In January, they replaced manager Ernesto Valverde with Quique Setien after the club were knocked out of the Spanish Super Cup in the semi-final by Atletico Madrid.

On February 6, they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-final, shortly after Messi had engaged in a public dispute with sporting director Eric Abidal.

The club had got back to winning ways on the pitch after a 3-2 victory over Real Betis before they claimed an important 2-1 victory against third-place Getafe in La Liga on Saturday:

🎩 Magical assist = Messi
🔥 Clinical finish = Griezmann

💪 Barcelona overcame a tough test at home to in-form Getafe to win 2⃣-1⃣

👀1 point now seperates Real Madrid & Barcelona at the top of LaLiga

El Clasico is on the horizon 😬 pic.twitter.com/0kDpikr8Au

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) February 17, 2020

Barca have some key games coming up, with Napoli awaiting in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League on February 25 before racing Real Madrid in La Liga on March 1.

Away from the pitch, they'll be eager to tie down Lionel Messi on a new contract, as his deal expires next year.

Barcelona have been given permission to sign a new forward on an emergency basis after winger Ousmane Dembele was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn hamstring.

Manager Quique Setien's attacking options are limited, with striker Luis Suarez also likely to be out until May following surgery on his right knee.

Juan Jimenez of AS wrote on Monday that the Blaugrana will be permitted to sign a new forward, though any new recruit must be a free agent or already registered with a Spanish club (via ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden):

Green light from the relevant bodies for Baça to make 'emergency' forward signing following long-term injury to Ousmane Dembele.

— Samuel Marsden (@samuelmarsden) February 17, 2020

Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo wrote that Leganes frontman Martin Braithwaite is Barca's first choice after it seemed as though Getafe's Angel Rodriguez was on his way (h/t Forbes' Tom Sanderson).

Setien has relied on 17-year-old winger Ansu Fati in recent games, while Lionel Messi is taking on a heavy burden in attack.

Squawka highlighted how much Barca have depended upon the six-time Ballon d'Or winner after he set up Antoine Griezmann's opener in Saturday's 2-1 win at home to Getafe:

Lionel Messi has been directly involved in each of Barcelona's last seven LaLiga goals:

⚽️ Messi
🅰️ Messi
🅰️ Messi
🅰️ Messi
🅰️ Messi
🅰️ Messi
🅰️ Messi

That man again. pic.twitter.com/Wnil0l7xbc

— Squawka (@Squawka) February 15, 2020

That streak of goal involvements ended when Junior Firpo helped to set up Sergi Roberto for the winner against Getafe, though that by no means diminishes Messi's importance at the Camp Nou.

Setien will be particularly determined to acquire alternative options in attack as Barcelona prepare to meet Napoli in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The Catalan club travel to the Stadio San Paolo for their first leg on February 25, the second of three fixtures in an eight-day span.

Mundo Deportivo suggested Real Sociedad's Willian Jose was no longer a target for Barca, though Levante's Roger Marti and Lucas Perez of Alaves are reportedly in their sights (h/t Football Espana).

Spanish football writer Colin Millar criticised the decision to allow Barcelona to sign player who isn't a free agent, particularly after a promising player like Carles Perez left the club for AS Roma in January:

This rule is made even more nonsensical by the fact that Barcelona willingly sold two forwards at the end of January (one aged 20, the other turns 22 this week). There is no meaningful logic behind allowing any club transfers outside the window aside from noncontracted players.

— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) February 11, 2020

Perez, 22, has joined the Giallorossi on an initial loan, though the move will be made permanent for €11 million (£9.1 million) provided certain conditions are met.

Barcelona are second in La Liga, one point behind leaders Real Madrid after Los Blancos drew 2-2 at home to Celta Vigo on Sunday. Setien's men due back at the Camp Nou on Saturday, when they will host Eibar.

Barcelona legend Carles Puyol is confident former team-mate Lionel Messi can continue playing well into his 30s.

The Argentinian will turn 33 in June and has just one year remaining on his contract, but Puyol suggested Barca don't need to be planning for life without him just yet.

Per Marca's Joan Solsona, he said: "Messi is 32, and a player who takes care of himself like Leo does can play until he's 38. Why are we talking about a Barcelona without Messi when he's here now? What we have to do is try to win as much as possible with him."

Despite his age, Messi remains enormously effective at the Camp Nou. In 27 games this season, he has returned 19 goals and 16 assists.

By his own impeccable standards, he is enduring something of a goal drought, though, as Squawka's Muhammad Butt observed in Barca's 2-1 win over Getafe on Saturday:

Messi's finishing is similarly wayward. think he's had 33 shots (inc. blocks) without scoring now? first time he's gone four starts without a goal since Tata back in 2014.

— Muhammad Butt (@muhammadbutt) February 15, 2020

However, he has made up for his unusual profligacy in front of goal with his unrivalled creativity:

Lionel Messi has now assisted Barcelona’s last six goals ✨

“Hello this is Leo, how may I assist you?" pic.twitter.com/FdVRQP1R34

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 15, 2020

He set up Antoine Griezmann with a delightful no-look pass against Getafe:

HIGHLIGHTS | @AntoGriezmann and @SergiRoberto10 earned a win for @FCBarcelona, as Messi claimed yet another assist. 😉

📺 #BarçaGetafe pic.twitter.com/0jYcTPSSb8

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 15, 2020

Barca should be concerned about Messi's future, though. His contract expires in 2021, and he can leave this summer for free thanks to a clause in it, according to the Guardian's Sid Lowe.

Despite a public spat with sporting director Eric Abidal earlier in February, it still seems unlikely Messi will leave the club anytime soon given his stated intention to retire at the Camp Nou. However, even if his long-term future at the club is secured, he will eventually decline, and Barcelona haven't managed to surround him with a team capable of adequately supporting him as he enters his twilight years.

Neymar looked set to be his heir before his departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, and the two arrivals his exit helped to fund—Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho—have not worked out.

The former has spent much of his time at the Camp Nou injured, while the latter was sent to Bayern Munich on loan in the summer after failing to impress.

The club also signed Frenkie de Jong and Griezmann last summer. They have yet to set the world alight, either, although they are still adapting—and De Jong is only 22, so the jury is still out on them.

Barcelona have won 10 La Liga titles since Messi made his debut in the 2004-05 season, as well as six Copas del Rey and four UEFA Champions Leagues. Messi can still play a key role to help the team to add to those tallies in the coming years, but the club needs to recognise he will be less capable of doing it all on his own.

Getafe president Miguel Torres has said his club have not received an approach from Barcelona for Angel Rodriguez despite speculation the Catalan giants are keen on the 32-year-old.

Torres told Movistar (h/t Marca) that he met Barcelona representatives at the Camp Nou ahead of Getafe's clash with the Spanish champions on Saturday, but they did not talk about Angel:

"The directors' lunch went well. We didn't speak about football. They didn't ask me about Angel during the lunch. We dodged the topic. First, they have to have the authorisation to sign players. They didn't tell me that they wanted to sign him. He's a great player and we're very happy with him. We want him to stay at Getafe."

Barcelona want to sign Angel outside the transfer window after losing Luis Suarez (knee) and Ousmane Dembele (hamstring) to long-term injuries, according to Goal's Ignasi Oliva Gispert. 

The forward may have enhanced his chances of a move to the Camp Nou on Saturday by coming off the bench and scoring against the Catalan giants.

Angel's tally was his 10th La Liga goal of an impressive season for Getafe, but it was not enough to prevent Jose Bordalas' side from losing 2-1 to the Spanish champions:

🔟✨ – @Roger27M
🔟✨ – Angel Rodriguez
🔟✨ – @GerardMoreno9

The race to be the top Spanish goalscorer in #LaLigaSantander is heating up! 🇪🇸🔝 pic.twitter.com/3DgDU9Naeg

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 15, 2020

Torres has told Catalunya Radio (h/t Marca) that Angel has a buyout clause of just €10 million and that he will not stand in his way if Barca do make an approach.

The Spaniard may be a useful option for Barca for the rest the season. He is available at a good price, has bags of experience and would allow manager Quique Setien to afford his attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Ansu Fati some rest.

Bordalas told Emilio Contreras and Juancar Navacerrada at Marca that Getafe would "lose a lot" if Angel were to leave even though only six of his 21 La Liga appearances have been as a starter.

Despite all the speculation, it is still unclear if Barcelona will be allowed an emergency signing. Guillermo Amor, the club's director of institutional relations, has said the club are still awaiting permission from the Royal Spanish Football Federation, per Sport.      

Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann opened up about his relationship with Lionel Messi after the side beat Getafe 2-1 on Saturday, saying the two are still learning how to play together.

Messi assisted Griezmann for the team's opening goal. Per Sport's Angels Fabregues, the Frenchman expects their relationship to continue growing: "I have been here for seven months, and we still have to learn each other's movements, but it will get better with time. We are enjoying working together and I am sure it will get better." 

He also talked about life in Barcelona: "I am really happy, as are my family. We are enjoying ourselves a lot here." 

Griezmann's goal set the tone in a narrow 2-1 win and came after a delightful pass from the Argentinian:

HIGHLIGHTS | @AntoGriezmann and @SergiRoberto10 earned a win for @FCBarcelona, as Messi claimed yet another assist. 😉

📺 #BarçaGetafe pic.twitter.com/0jYcTPSSb8

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 15, 2020

It was his first goal in La Liga since December 21, when he netted in the win over Deportivo Alaves.

Griezmann's first season with the Blaugrana has seen its ups and downs, but his knack for breaking the deadlock has proved valuable:

Griezmann has opened the scoring nine times for Barca this season, which is a really useful skill to have

— Rik Sharma (@riksharma_) February 15, 2020

He has eight goals and four assists in 23 La Liga outings and has added one goal in the UEFA Champions League.

The injury absence of Luis Suarez (knee) has added pressure to the former Atletico Madrid man, who has been forced into playing heavy minutes alongside Messi. Rising starlet Ansu Fati has also become a regular starter since the Uruguayan's mid-January setback.

The relationship between Messi and Griezmann has been a topic of conversation in Catalonia. Per Forbes' Tom Sanderson, a former coach of the 28-year-old told Esports Cope Griezmann looks "sad" at the Camp Nou.

Per the same report, France Football said the French international feels isolated at the club, something Catalan newspaper Sport refuted.

His representatives have also denied the claims:

Controversy in France 😡

France Football used quotes from Antoine Griezmann saying that his Barcelona team-mates are jealous of him being a world champion 👀

But his representatives have come out to deny them, claiming they’ve been invented.#LLL
🧡🇪🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/z2vGLIKoLO

— La Liga Lowdown 🧡🇪🇸⚽️ (@LaLigaLowdown) February 11, 2020

Tensions at the club have been elevated since Messi publicly called out director Eric Abidal on Feb. 5 over comments about players not training hard enough under former manager Ernesto Valverde, per RAC-1 (h/t Juan Jimenez of AS).

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni believes Lionel Messi is "comfortable" at Barcelona despite his recent spat with sporting director Eric Abidal. 

There have been reports recently that Messi could leave the Camp Nou after his angry response to Abidal's comments about Ernesto Valverde's departure:

Lionel Messi hits out at Barcelona's Sporting Director and former team-mate Eric Abidal 👀 pic.twitter.com/8FCBU48YE5

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 4, 2020

According to The Athletic's Sam Lee, Manchester City believe there is a possibility they could sign the six-time Ballon d'Or winner in the summer.

Meanwhile, per Sid Lowe in the Guardian, the exchange with Abidal has awoken Barca's "greatest fear" that Messi could leave the club, not least because he has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave for free at the end of any season.

Barca's results have also not been great recently. January's 3-0 defeat to Valencia has seen the Blaugrana drop three points behind Real Madrid in the title race:

There's @FCBarcelona (2nd) 🆚 @GetafeCF (3rd) to look forward to on Saturday... 👀

🔮 How will the #LaLigaSantander table look by the end of this weekend? pic.twitter.com/t9vRgBydYH

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 14, 2020

The Catalan giants were then knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao last week before Messi set up all Barca's goals in their 3-2 away win over Real Betis in La Liga:

Three Barcelona goals ✅
Three Messi assists ✅

Rinse and repeat. pic.twitter.com/H9NYPSS7dY

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 9, 2020

Scaloni, though, said he does not have any concerns about Messi despite recent events, per Sacha Pisani of Goal:

"I see him fine. The other day, against Real Betis, he was the best player in the field without scoring. He gave the assists and participated on every chance. He's fine, he's comfortable; he will have to decide on his future, but I think he's comfortable. I'm not worried at all. He's comfortable. He's comfortable at the national team and at Barcelona. Then what will come will come; I stay out of it."

Barcelona are more reliant than ever on Messi at the moment because both Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele are sidelined with long term injuries.

As a result, they have been granted permission for an emergency transfer, and Real Sociedad's Willian Jose is their top target, per Sky Sports. 

The 28-year-old Brazilian has scored eight goals in 22 La Liga appearances in 2019-20.

Barca are back in La Liga action on Saturday when they host high-flying Getafe, who sit third in the table after winning four on the bounce without conceding a goal. 

Barcelona will face a major challenge in La Liga on Saturday, hosting in-form Getafe for a clash between second and third place.

Caesars Palace has named the hosts clear -230 favourites (bet $230 to win $100), despite Getafe's excellent form. The visitors check in at +680, and a draw comes in at +350.

Kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET, and viewers can follow along via LaLiga TV (UK) and BeIN Sports (U.S.).

   

Getafe enter Saturday's clash in a rich vein of form, winning their last four matches in the competition without conceding a goal:

Getafe are building form ahead of their #UEL clash with Ajax 🔥

✅ Won 8 of their last 9 Spanish Liga games
📈 3rd in the table
🚫 0 goals conceded since January 11th pic.twitter.com/RgYyGt9MMU

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 10, 2020

They haven't just beaten up on La Liga's minnows in that stretch, either. Their last win was a 3-0 triumph over the same Valencia team that beat Barcelona 2-0 in January.

The club from the capital have La Liga's fourth-ranked defence, conceding just 20 goals so far. Only Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have done better. Barcelona have been significantly worse at the back, conceding 28 goals already.

The back line is a major question mark going into the match, and not just due to their poor form. Clement Lenglet will be suspended, and both Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti are not at 100 per cent. It could mean a start for Ronald Araujo, per Mundo Deportivo:

📰 — With Piqué doing specific work at training, Umtiti with slight discomfort, and Lenglet suspended, Ronald Araujo could start against Getafe. [md] pic.twitter.com/ua0YGBOo3r

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) February 12, 2020

Depth is also an issue up front, where Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele are sidelined with injuries. Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Ansu Fati have been logging plenty of minutes as a result, and it will likely not be any different on Saturday.

The outcome of the match could well be decided by the freshness of their legs. All three have shown signs of fatigue of late, and they'll now go up against a defence that has shut out four straight opponents.

If Messi and Griezmann are at their best, they have the talent to unlock any defence in the world. Getafe present a challenge, however, and will like their chances if the Catalan forwards show more signs of fatigue.

Prediction: Barcelona 0-0 Getafe