It promises to be an emotional affair at the Nou Camp on Saturday afternoon as Barcelona return to their home stadium for the first time since Tito Vilanova's death.
Barca will mark the occasion by wearing tribute shirts which will carry the message "Tito, per sempre extern" which means "Tito, forever eternal". They will also show a video featuring highlights of Tito's life, have a minutes silence and a banner will be unfurled in one of the stands. It will be a difficult day for everyone involved but perhaps the most fitting tribute will be the ninety minutes that follow. Tito was a football man and the pregame ceremonies would no doubt fill him with pride but if he is looking down on the Nou Camp on Saturday afternoon you can be assured he would be more worried about a Barcelona victory.
Barcelona's title hopes are out of their hands and they would need both Atletico and Real Madrid to slip up to allow them to have a chance of lifting the league title. It is looking increasingly unlikely but their hopes may have been boosted slightly with both Madrid clubs coming through their Champions League semi-finals in midweek. In the event of both sides taking their eye off the ball Barcelona will still have to do their bit and Tata Martino will be trying to get that message through to his side.
Martino will once again be without Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Carlos Puyol, Jordi Alba, Neymar and Isaac Cuenca and has named the same squad as last weekend. On that occasion Barca fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 but it was far from a vintage performance and they will be looking to improve all over the park to finish the season in the best way possible.
Barcelona's opponents are Getafe who are at the opposite end of the table and need the points every bit as much as Martino's men. They are currently two points clear of the relegation zone and with Almeria hosting already relegated Real Betis in Sunday's early game there is a chance they will find themselves in the bottom three after this weekends fixtures.
Getafe's manager and former Romanian international, Cosmin Contra has spoke this week about the three things required to beat Barcelona. Contra believes it will take work, belief and luck and with the list of players Getafe will be without one expects they may need a particularly generous portion of luck. Ciprian Marica, Pedro Leon and Lisandro Lopez will all miss out due to suspension and there are doubts over the fitness of Diego Castro. Miguel Angel Moya and Borja will also miss out due to injury.
History is with Barcelona who have won the last six meetings between the sides but at this stage of the season anything can happen. The emotion of the occasion could overwhelm this Barcelona side who despite winning their last two haven't looked much better than the side who lost the three previous games. With Getafe in desperation mode and fighting for survival Barcelona will have to find the way to go through the gears again like they have in years gone by. It's something that has alluded them in recent weeks though and Getafe will push them as far they possibly can.