La Liga: Getafe Look to Bounce Back Against Bottom Club

Getafe vs Espanyol

Getafe and Espanyol are two clubs who still have a lot to play for this La Liga season. Getafe remain in a good position to win a place in Europe next season, while Espanyol are currently stuck in last place in the table and are fighting for their La Liga lives.

The Catalans gave their chances of staying up a major boost with a win over the weekend. But they will find it tough to claim more valuable points at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez as they face a Getafe side eager to bounce back after a tough defeat.

Talking Points

Getafe’s shaky form continues

Getafe did not have a great return to La Liga action away to Granada as they suffered a 2-1 defeat. They made a great start as they went 1-0 ahead after 20 minutes thanks to a David Timor goal.

However, Granada struck twice in the last 20 minutes to steal the victory. It was the first time all season that Getafe had lost after scoring first.

Add this loss to Getafe’s growing list of poor La Liga 2020 results. They’ve now won just one of their last five matches, with three losses and one draw. Granted, two of those losses came against leaders Barcelona and third-placed Sevilla.

Getafe are currently sitting on the fifth spot in La Liga table — Getafe suffer defeat in their recent La Liga match against Granada

Still, their shaky form means they can drop down to sixth if Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao this weekend.

However, Getafe have a glorious opportunity to end their recent slump when they take on last-placed Espanyol.

Under the management of Jose Bordalas, Getafe have once again been one of the best defensive sides in La Liga this season with just 27 goals conceded, and they’ve been especially tough to break down at home.

Taking away their matches against the top three — Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Sevilla — Getafe have conceded just one goal in their last eight home games.
Prior to their loss to Granada, they’d also kept clean sheets in seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Getafe will be set to welcome back three key starters in striker Jaime Mata, as well as defensive midfielders Mauro Arambarri and Nemanja Maksimovic.

All three missed the Granada match due to suspension.

Mata’s return will be a major boost to the Getafe attack. The 31-year-old is the team’s second-leading scorer with eight league goals this season.

Espanyol still alive

The La Liga 2020 odds are not high on Espanyol’s chances of staying up this season. When the season was suspended, the Catalans were stuck in last in the standings, three points behind 19th-placed Leganes and seven points from safety.

However, they handed themselves a huge lifeline in the form of a 2-0 home win over Deportivo Alaves on their first game back from the break. They were aided by Alaves going down to 10 men inside 20 minutes when Fernando Pacheco saw a straight red card.

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Premier League

After a disastrous run where they lost seven of their first eight games at the RCDE Stadium, Espanyol’s home form has finally started to improve.

They are now unbeaten in their last six, with two wins over Mallorca and Alaves. They also held fierce rivals Barcelona to a 2-2 draw back in January.

On the other hand, though, their away form remains troublesome. They’ve won just once in their last nine away matches, with seven defeats and one draw.

Espanyol haven’t helped themselves with some poor discipline away from home. They’ve had someone sent off in each of their last three away games and in four of their last five.

Needless to say, they will need all 11 men on the pitch to leave the Coliseum Alfonso Perez with a positive result.

History

Battles between Getafe and Espanyol have been closely contested over the years. In their last 26 league meetings, Espanyol hold the slight 10-9 edge over Getafe in terms of wins, with seven draws.

However, Getafe have gained the upper hand in recent seasons. Prior to their last two meetings, both of which were draws, Getafe had won three of the last four matches against Espanyol.

Granted, all of those wins were at home. In fact, the home side had won seven straight matches between the two sides from 2014 to 2018. Espanyol’s last win over Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez came way back in 2013.

Betting Tip

	Getafe vs RCD Espanyol	1X2 Getafe @ 2.02
	June 17, 01:30 (GMT+8)

SBOBET odds have Getafe priced as 2.02 favourites to claim the home win, with Espanyol 3.80 underdogs away. Meanwhile, a draw is 3.20.

Despite their shaky form of late, it’s tough to see Getafe losing two in a row, especially at home against the bottom club in the league.

Their stellar defence should be aided by the return of midfielders Arambarri and Maksimovic, while Mata should provide enough attacking talent to eke out a home victory.