Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. (Photo : Getty Images)
Defending La Liga champions FC Barcelona (23-2-3, 72 points) will look to extend their record-breaking 36-game unbeaten streak as they host lowly club Getafe CF (7-15-6, 27 points) at the Camp Nou on Saturday, March 12th as the 2015-2016 Spanish domestic competitions continue.
Barcelona demolished middling team SD Eibar, 4-0, at the Estadio Municipal de Ipura last Sunday to gain their 36th straight unbeaten game, as per SkySports. They previously broke Real Madrid's 34-game undefeated run in all competitions that stood for the last 28 years.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi was again the man in the spotlight, scoring a brace at the 41st and 76th minutes, to lead the Neymar-less Barça over Los Armeros.
Neymar's temporary replacement in the front three, Munir El Haddadi, opened the scoring right at the eighth minute of the match to give Blaugrana the early lead. Messi's scoring partner, Luis Suárez, sealed the game six minutes before full time to complete Barça's four-goal haul.
The win was the 21st consecutive win for the Catalonia giants in the domestic top flight as they hold firm their grasp of the league-leadership. Luis Enrique's squad is still eight points adrift over second-running Atletico Madrid and 12 points above arch-rival and current third placers Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Getafe was able to force contending squad Sevilla FC to a 1-1 draw at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez last Saturday, as reported by ESPN.
The game started shaky as the two teams' defenses held on, finishing the first half without any goals.
Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega broke the deadlock at the 79th minute but Fran Escribá's boys were able to equalize four minutes before full time, via defender Emiliano Velázquez's short range shot, to salvage the tie and share a point each in the league table.
The draw snapped El Geta's seven-game losing slide as they are only one point away from bottom-three relegation.
The predicted result is a 3-0 win for Barcelona as Neymar returns to action from a one-game suspension.
Barcelona starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Turan; Messi, Suárez, Neymar
Getafe starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Guaita; Buendia, Velazquez, Cala, Yoda; J. Rodriguez, Meira; Sarabia, Medran, V. Rodriguez; Vazquez
