Source: Eurosport
Getafe test for title-chasing Barca
Real Madrid will be looking for a helping hand from Getafe this weekend as their neighbours play host to Primera Liga leaders Barcelona.Recent history suggests the reigning champions may just get it.Barca make the trip to the capital boasting a six-point lead over Madrid and still well on course for an historic treble, having already reached the Copa del Rey final and this week progressing through to the Champions League semi-finals.Pep Guardiola's side are also on a nine-match unbeaten run following Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich, but it is what happens over the coming weeks that will concern the Catalan giants now as the big games start to pile up.First up is Saturday's trip to 14th-placed Getafe, a fixture that could prove more awkward for Barca than league positions alone would suggest.Earlier this season Getafe ended Barca's nine-match winning sequence in La Liga by holding Guardiola's side to a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp, while last term the small club from the outskirts of Madrid took four points off their more illustrious rivals.Undoubtedly Getafe's most famous triumph over Barca came in the 2007 Copa del Rey semi-finals though, when they progressed to the final 6-5 on aggregate after winning the second leg 4-0 at home.They also held Barca 1-1 at home in the league that season as well.Despite all that however, Getafe winger Jaime Gavilan knows his side are far from favourites this weekend."We know our limitations and what Barcelona can do, but don't think it's going to be a party," he said."We must have a good day, them to have a bad one, and with the support of our fans anything is possible."It's difficult, but it's possible they will be affected by the game in Munich, and that will be better for us. They don't have a great record against us, have had a bad experience and they know that in Getafe they cannot relax."Barca midfielder Xavi, however, insists his side are well-prepared for the challenge of fighting for trophies on three fronts."The team is in spectacular form both physically and mentally and is ready to face a really tough month and a half," he said.Madrid play host to Getafe themselves next Tuesday, but before that Juande Ramos' men travel to Recreativo Huelva looking to continue their stunning run of league form that has yielded 43 points from a possible 45 in recent months.Elsewhere, the race for the final Champions League spot is hotting up as well.Rejuvenated Valencia leap-frogged stuttering neighbours Villarreal into fourth place last weekend, but Los Che face a tough match on Sunday when they play host to a Sevilla side who are almost certain to finish third.Behind Valencia, Villarreal are just one point adrift as they head to Real Valladolid looking to bounce back from a miserable last few weeks.Not only have Manuel Pellegrini's men lost three out of four in La Liga to slip out of the top four, but they were dumped out of Europe by Arsenal on Wednesday night and have seen key midfielders Marcos Senna (three weeks) and Santi Cazorla (three months) sidelined by injuries.Should Villarreal slip up again this weekend, then both Atletico Madrid and Malaga would climb above them with victories.Malaga are at home to Real Mallorca while Atletico play host to second-bottom Numancia.In this weekend's other games, bottom club Espanyol will try to continue their recent revival as they meet Racing Santander, relegation rivals Real Betis and Sporting Gijon face each other, as do struggling Almeria and Osasuna, while Deportivo La Coruna go to Athletic Bilbao.[LNB]
