Having failed to create some breathing space in their battle against La Liga relegation last time out, Getafe take to the road to meet European hopefuls Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarin on Wednesday.
Manuel Pellegrini's side held local rivals Sevilla to a goalless stalemate in their most recent affair, while their visitors also shook hands on a point in a 1-1 draw with Elche.
Match preview
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Off the back of their energy-zapping Europa League semi-final encounter with Juventus, Sevilla were hardly going to enter their latest fiery derby with Betis in tip-top physical condition, which no doubt played its part in the visitors taking a point back to base from the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
While there were few chances of note for the men in green and white, Sevilla tested Claudio Bravo on several occasions and played the final few minutes with a man advantage following Juan Miranda's sending-off, but there was ultimately no way through Pellegrini's well-drilled defence.
The veteran Verdiblancos coach cut a relatively upbeat figure after witnessing his side stretch their unbeaten run to three matches - having bested Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano prior to the Seville derby - and Betis remain entrenched in sixth place as a result.
With a six-point advantage over Athletic but a four-point gap to make up to Villarreal, Betis' grip on a Europa League spot will not be affected no matter what transpires in midweek, but failure to score for the third time in five games at the weekend will come as a concern to Pellegrini.
However, Betis are now returning to a ground where they have suffered just one defeat from their last seven La Liga contests - keeping clean sheets against Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in that sequence - but Getafe are just as desperate for points for entirely different reasons.
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Facing an Elche side who have already been condemned to the drop would seemingly represent a prime opportunity for Getafe to rise above the dotted line, and they were on course to do just that when Munir El Haddadi crashed home the game's opening goal with just eight minutes gone.
However, on the stroke of half time, Lucas Boye responded for the doomed visitors with a bullet header, and a succession of other wasted opportunities would come back to bite Getafe, who could not respond to that injury-time sucker punch.
With Espanyol managing to do the business in their showdown with Rayo Vallecano, Jose Bordalas's 17th-placed side are now only one point better off than their fellow demotion dog-fighters, while Real Valladolid are only behind on goal difference prior to their showdown with champions Barcelona on Tuesday.
A return to the road will hardly fill the Azulones faithful with confidence either, as Getafe enter Wednesday's game on the back of four successive away defeats to Sociedad, Mallorca, Espanyol and Real Madrid - scoring just one goal in the process - and their overall winless run on rival territory stands at 11 matches since overcoming Elche 1-0 on Halloween.
A late Borja Iglesias penalty propelled Betis to a 1-0 win over Getafe when the sides locked horns back in January, stretching the hosts' unbeaten run against the Azulones to four games since a 3-0 loss away from home in September 2020, which marks the most recent occasions that the visitors found the back of the net against the Verdiblancos.
Team News
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Betis left-back Juan Miranda had only been on the field for seven minutes against Seville before receiving a straight red card for a high challenge on Jesus Navas; the 23-year-old was initially just given a booking before his punishment was upgraded.
With Miranda now suspended, Pellegrini could have done without a late injury concern to the man that he replaced - Abner - but the hosting manager is hopeful that the Brazilian was only suffering from cramp and should be fine for Wednesday. The same cannot be said for ACL victim Nabil Fekir, though, while Victor Ruiz is still struggling to overcome a muscular problem.
Physical glitches reportedly forced key cogs William Carvalho and Borja Iglesias off the field in Seville too, so Willian Jose and Paul Akouokou are among those who could benefit from some inevitable rotation.
Similarly, Getafe also have a fresh concern from the weekend to take into account in the shape of Mauro Arambarri, who came off in the first half of their draw with Elche due to the ankle problem which has been plaguing him all season long.
Luis Milla and Roma loanee Gonzalo Villar should battle to deputise for Arambarri in the engine room, although Bordalas also has the option of moving captain Djene further forward in a switch to a 4-3-3 shape. The visiting coach has not ruled out the prospect of Arambarri making a miraculous recovery, though.
Getafe otherwise have no other injury or suspension concerns to factor in for the trip to Betis, and Jaime Mata returns from a ban to provide backup to 14-goal striker Enes Unal, who is believed to be on the radar of Benfica as a possible replacement for Manchester United-linked Goncalo Ramos.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Sabaly, Pezzella, Felipe, Abner; Rodriguez, Akouokou; Juanmi, Canales, Perez; Iglesias
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Mitrovic, Alderete, Djene; Suarez, Milla, Maksimovic, Iglesias; Alena, Unal, Munir
We say: Real Betis 1-0 Getafe
With neither side displaying a propensity for ruthless finishing, goals ought to be at a premium at Estadio Benito Villamarin, where a wealth of changes from the hosts should also hamper their attacking prowess.
Getafe historically struggle for inspiration in the final third against the Verdiblancos, though, and with Bordalas's side continuing to come up short on their travels, Betis can eke out a slender win to keep their hopes of a top-five finish alive while simultaneously harming Getafe's survival chances further.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
