Getafe welcome Cadiz to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday, in what could turn out to be a crucial battle towards the bottom of the 2022-23 LaLiga standings.
The hosts are unbeaten in their last four games, without defeat since a narrow loss to Real Madrid at the start of October, while the visitors will arrive in the capital off the back of an incredible 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid.
Match preview
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Getafe have started to grind out some results after a slow start to the season in LaLiga, with three wins and three draws in their last eight games seeing Quique Sanchez Flores's men pull slowly away from the early relegation scrap.
Averaging just over 37% possession so far this campaign, Los Azulones have prioritised solidity on the road, posting around 0.33 expected goals per game across their last three LaLiga trips.
Nonetheless, against Celta Vigo two weeks ago, the side from Madrid were only denied a win in the dying moments, despite seeing just 28% of the ball and hitting the target just once, from a 25-yard free-kick by Enes Unal.
Last weekend's trip to bottom side Elche was similarly cagey, as their Turkish talisman finished spectacularly once again to secure a tight 1-0 win.
At home, though, Getafe do tend to be more adventurous, and they could unleash the likes of Borja Mayoral, Carles Alena and Luis Milla for the visit of the second-leakiest defence in the division.
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The visitors are the only team with a lower expected goals tally than Getafe this season, and arrive at the Coliseum on Saturday with just eight goals scored in their opening 12 games.
Three of those, however, came last weekend, as the goal-shy Gaditanos beat Atletico Madrid in a sensational game at the Estadio Ramon Carranza, as Ruben Sobrino netted a 99th-minute winner against Diego Simeone's bewildered side.
Despite a late Joao Felix brace to draw the contest level, a goal after 28 seconds from Theo Bongonda and an emphatic finish from Alex Fernandez saw Sergio's men more than double their home tally for the season in the most incredible 90 minutes of football.
Since their nightmare start to the season, the Andalusian side have lost just once in their last seven LaLiga outings, and look to have rediscovered the grit and determination that has kept them in the Spanish top flight, against the odds, for the past three seasons.
Team News
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Sanchez Flores has had plenty of injury issues to deal with over the past few weeks, as star midfielder Mauro Arambarri looks set to miss the World Cup after an operation on his ankle.
Uruguayan compatriot Damian Suarez has also strained his left hamstring, while all of Fabricio Angileri, Nemanja Maksimovic and Munir El Haddadi will be forced to sit this one out.
In addition, left-back Jordan Amavi is suspended after his late red card against Elche last weekend.
The visitors will be without right-back Joseba Zaldua, after a devastating anterior cruciate ligament tear ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Otherwise, though, Sergio has a relatively full squad to choose from, with healthy competition starting to break out across the starting lineup.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Alvarez, Duarte, Mitrovic, Djene, Iglesias; Alena, Milla, Seoane; Mayoral, Unal
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Espino, Hernandez, Chust, Carcelen; Ocampo, San Emeterio, Alcaraz, Fernandez; Sobrino, Perez
We say: Getafe 1-0 Cadiz
A game between the two sides with the lowest expected goals figures in the league, it would not be a surprise to see a low-scoring affair to kickstart Saturday's LaLiga action.
Nonetheless, with the firepower of Enes Unal and the home advantage, we expect Los Azulones to get the job done and to extend their encouraging unbeaten streak to five.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
