FC Barcelona (Champions, 83pts) vs Getafe CF (4th, 58pts)
Competition/Round: 2018-19 La Liga, Matchday 37
Barcelona Outs and Doubts: Luis Suárez, Ousmane Dembélé, Arthur, Rafinha, Jeison Murillo, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Thomas Vermaelen (out)
Getafe Outs and Doubts: Amath Ndiaye, Vitorino Antunes, Markel Bergara, Bruno González, Jaime Mata (out)
Date/Time: Sunday, May 12, 2019, 6.30pm CET (Barcelona), 5.30pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 12.30pm ET, 9.30am PT (USA), 10pm IST (India)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: José Luis González González
How to watch on TV: beIN SPORTS (USA, Canada, Spain), Eleven Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport 5 (Nigeria), SONY TEN 2 (India), others
How to stream: FuboTV (USA), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (USA, Canada, Spain), Movistar+ (Spain), others
I’ve wanted to write something about the Liverpool defeat since it happened, but I decided to wait until this preview. This my space. No one else writes previews here for the simple reason that I love doing them and am very good at it, and I can say whatever I want as long as I focus on the next game and give you a reason to watch it.
So as Barcelona prepare to play their last match at Camp Nou in the 2018-19 season against Getafe, I would like you to focus on the following three words: I am done. For two years I’ve been putting up with mediocrity because I am a positive person who always looks for the small good news and the important lessons of everything that happens, even when it’s bad.
But after Tuesday, it’s over. Mediocrity doesn’t cut it. I don’t need to or I want to recap what happened at Anfield because our Barça Blaugranes staff did a spectacular job of giving you all angles since Tuesday night. Huge shoutout to every single one, by the way. Our site was the source for post-Liverpool reaction, and it’s because our writers did a great job.
What I will say, though, is that we lost because of mediocrity. Our manager is mediocre, his tactics are mediocre, and the players, IN THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE SEASON, were nothing but mediocre. If Liverpool needed a 6-0 win to qualify, they would get it. It’s that simple, and it’s because the manager and players thought it was better to protect a three-goal lead than try to extend it. But what if we concede? Exactly. Mediocre.
I’ve decided that I am done. I am done with mediocrity. I am done rationalizing defensive football and pragmatism as an acceptable way of playing at Barça. I am done watching the most talented attacking team in the universe be satisfied with a two-goal lead after 58 minutes. I am done making excuses for a manager who is not good enough for the greatest club in the world.
I don’t care if Getafe have had an incredible season and need a win at Camp Nou to guarantee Champions League football. I don’t care if the players are emotionally destroyed after Tuesday. I don’t care if this is the last game of the season at Camp Nou and that may or may not motivate them to play a little better than they have the last two years.
I am done celebrating one great game every seven weeks, or playing like mid-table teams in big games and accepting a coward performance just because we won. I don’t care. I am done.
Barcelona owe me a great performance on Sunday. As they do every single fan. They don’t exist without us, and it’s about damn time I realized that. What they do against Getafe won’t make it better, but at least show you care. At least show that you really want the fans’ support and earn it on the pitch instead of asking for it on Instagram.
I am done with the bullshit. Play like Barcelona, and start playing like Barcelona this Sunday. I won’t accept anything less than spectacular, because you’ve made me accept mediocre for two years.
I. AM. DONE.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Umtiti, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal; Malcom, Messi, Coutinho
Getafe (4-4-2): David Soria; Suárez, Miquel, Dakonam, Cabrera; Foulquier, Maksimovic, Arambarri, Olivera; Molina, Rodríguez
PREDICTION
This is not a prediction, this is a demand: 5-0 Barça. I won’t accept anything less. As I’ve already made perfectly clear, I’m done accepting mediocre.