Getafe vs. Barcelona: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

It would take a small miracle for Getafe to somehow advance in the Copa del Rey.

Having already lost to Barcelona in the first leg of this tie, 4-0, Getafe face an insurmountable deficit at home against La Liga's top team (though were it not for goal differential, Atletico Madrid would argue they deserve that distinction).

Just how huge is this deficit? Well, keep in mind that Barcelona has allowed just 12 goals in 19 La Liga games, or just one goal in three Copa del Rey contests. And even if Getafe could put up four goals on the Catalans, they'd also have to shut them out.

And Barcelona has been held without a goal just four times in all competitions this season. Yes, the deficit is borderline impossible for Getafe to overcome. But hey, that's why they play the games, right?

When: Thursday, January 16 at 4 p.m. ET

Thursday, January 16 at 9 p.m. GMT

Where: Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Getafe, Spain

Watch: beIN Sport; beIN Sport Play; Sky Sports 2 (U.K.); Sky Go (U.K.)

Key Storylines

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Just in case it wasn't clear above just how daunting a task Getafe have on their hands, consider this snippet from Barcelona's site about the team's excellent goal differential:

"

The stats don’t lie. FC Barcelona has the best goal average of the top 5 European leagues. No team from either the Spanish Primera, Serie A, Bundesliga, Premier, or Ligue 1 have a better goal difference than Barca (+41), with 53 goals scored and only 12 let in by [Tata] Martino’s Barca in the first phase of La Liga. 

The European teams who come closest to these figures are Manchester City and Atletico Madrid (goal average of +36), and Juventus and Bayern Munich (+34). The German team, however, should be in second position, as they have only played 16 league games, 3 less than Barca.

"

There is some hope for Getafe, of course. Andres Iniesta may be left out of the lineup for this game, according to Marca, though Sergi Roberto has played very well of late and has appeared in 12 straight games. Lionel Messi could be kept on the bench, which would be a relief for Getafe after he scored twice in the first leg.

Or Barcelona could simply blow this game off and come out flat.

Pedro Leon is probably Getafe's best hope in this game. The forward leads the club with five goals and four assists, and he'll need to have a blinder to get Getafe back into this tie.

Getafe will also need a big performance from Borja, as the midfielder has been the team's best player according to WhoScored.com, earning an average match rating of 7.05 in La Liga play.

But yes, the odds are stacked incredibly high in Barcelona's favor. In two matches this season, the Catalans have outscored Getafe by a 9-2 margin. It's hard to imagine the third time being the charm for the underdogs.

Prediction

Barcelona will almost assuredly win this game, and even if they don't, they'll most definitely advance to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals. They're the more talented and deeper team, and even on the road with this fixture all but signed, sealed and delivered, they'll still be favored.

Getafe will come out and fight, but they aren't about to erase a four-goal deficit. Barcelona win, 2-1.