Getafe will be looking to move seven points clear of the La Liga relegation zone when they resume their campaign at home to basement side Levante on Friday night.
The hosts are currently 16th in the table, boasting 22 points from 22 games this term, while Levante sit rock bottom of the division, having only collected 11 points from their 21 La Liga matches in 2021-22.
Match preview
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There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a disappointing campaign to date for Getafe, but there have certainly been signs of encouragement in recent weeks.
Indeed, Quique Sanchez Flores's side have been victorious in three of their last five league matches, suffering just one defeat in the process, which has allowed them to move up the division.
Back-to-back 1-0 wins over Osasuna and Real Madrid were followed by a defeat at Sevilla on January 9, but they have since beaten Granada and drawn with Real Sociedad to move onto 22 points.
The Deep Blue Ones, who finished 15th in Spain's top flight last term, are currently 16th in the table, four points clear of 18th-placed Cadiz, meaning that a victory on Friday would open up a healthy gap to the bottom three.
Getafe recorded a 2-1 victory over Levante when the two sides locked horns in the corresponding match last term, but the points were shared in a goalless draw in Valencia back in October.
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Levante are in their fifth straight season at this level of football, but the Frogs are facing a huge battle to retain their status in the top flight, having picked up just 11 points this term.
The Valencia-based outfit have won one, drawn eight and lost 12 of their 21 matches to collect 11 points, which has left them bottom of the table, some nine points from the safety of 17th position.
Levante managed to record their first league win of the season at home to Mallorca on January 8, but they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Cadiz in their last game before the break.
Alessio Lisci has won two, drawn two and lost four of his eight matches at the helm, and the 36-year-old will know the importance of Friday's contest considering Getafe's position in the table.
The Frogs have the worst away record in Spain's top flight this season, though, picking up just two points from 10 matches, which is certainly a concern heading into this match.
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Team News
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Getafe will be missing Jose Juan Macias and Sabit Abdulai for this contest through injury, but both Enes Unal and Sandro Ramirez will be available after serving suspensions against Real Sociedad.
There is a chance that both Unal and Sandro could return to the starting side, but it could otherwise be the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle last time out.
Okay Yokuslu could be involved following his arrival on loan from Celta Vigo, although Carles Alena, Mauro Arambarri and Nemanja Maksimovic should continue as the midfield three.
As for Levante, Oscar Duarte and Shkodran Mustafi remain on the sidelines through injury, while Jose Luis Morales will be unavailable for selection due to a suspension.
Head coach Lisci is expected to make changes from the side that started against Cadiz, with Jorge de Frutos and Mickael Malsa pushing to come into the XI.
However, Roger Marti and Roberto Soldado should continue as the front two for the visitors, who are looking for just their second league victory of the campaign.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Duarez, Dakonam, Mitrovic, Cuenca, Olivera; Alena, Arambarri, Maksimovic; Unal, Sandro
Levante possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Miramon, Vezo, Postigo, Clerc; Bardhi, Malsa, Melero, De Frutos; Soldado, Marti
We say: Getafe 2-1 Levante
This is a huge match for both sides, and a defeat for Levante would be a real hammer blow to their chances of remaining in the division. Getafe's recent form has been impressive, though, and we are expecting the hosts to secure all three points courtesy of a 2-1 success.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Getafe win with a probability of 48.75%. A draw had a probability of 26.7% and a win for Levante had a probability of 24.51%.
The most likely scoreline for a Getafe win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.39%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.64%) and 2-1 (9.01%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.53%), while for a Levante win it was 0-1 (8.71%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 4.6% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Getafe would win this match.
