Neymar-less Barcelona suffers scoreless draw at home vs. Getafe

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Barcelona slipped further behind Real Madrid in the Spanish league title race after being held to 0-0 at Getafe on Saturday. The draw

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Barcelona slipped further behind Real Madrid in the Spanish league title race after being held to 0-0 at Getafe on Saturday.

The draw ended Barcelona's run of eight straight wins overall, and it fell four points behind Madrid at the top of the table.

Barcelona played without striker Neymar, who had a sore left ankle.

The closest Barcelona went to scoring was Lionel Messi's free kick that hit the crossbar in the second half. Strike partner Luis Suarez remained without a goal in the league since returning from a four-month biting ban. He has scored twice in the Champions League.

"It's always difficult to score when the rival packs its defense in the area," Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said. "I would prefer to be higher up the standings, but there is a lot of league left."

Later, Valencia hosted Rayo Vallecano, Malaga welcomed Celta Vigo, and Levante visited Cordoba.

Madrid won 4-1 at Almeria on Friday, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice in its 20th straight win in all competitions.