Two teams involved in La Liga's fascinating relegation battle will lock horns on Sunday evening, with Getafe welcoming Sevilla to Coliseum Alfonso Perez for a key encounter.
Getafe are currently 18th in the table, boasting just 26 points from their 25 league games this season, while Sevilla are 13th, two points ahead of their opponents in this weekend's contest.
Match preview
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Getafe's position inside the La Liga relegation zone is not all that surprising taking everything into consideration, but they have only actually played outside of Spain's top flight for one season since 2004, so it would be a shock to see them drop out of the division for the 2023-24 campaign.
The Deep Blue Ones have actually only lost one of their last six league matches, recording two wins in the process, but a total of 26 points from 25 matches has left them in 18th position in the table, level on points with 17th-placed Valencia heading into the next set of top-flight fixtures.
There are only four points between 12th-placed Girona and Getafe in 18th, which is an indication of how quickly things could change, and there is no downplaying the importance of this weekend's contest.
Quique Sanchez Flores's side will enter the match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Cadiz last Friday, while they were 3-2 winners over Girona in their last game in front of their own fans at the start of the month.
The capital outfit have one of the worst home records in La Liga this term, though, only managing to collect 16 points from 13 matches, scoring just 14 times in the process.
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Sevilla have been used to Champions League football in recent years, and the club are almost certainly going to have to win the Europa League to be present in next season's European Cup.
Jorge Sampaoli's side managed to advance to the final eight of the Europa League despite suffering a 1-0 loss to Fenerbahce in the second leg of their last-16 clash on Thursday, and the La Liga outfit will now take on tournament favourites Manchester United in the quarter-finals.
Sevilla could yet lift a major trophy this season, but there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a hugely disappointing league campaign for the club, who currently sit down in 13th position in the table.
As mentioned, Los Nervionenses are only two points clear of the relegation zone, while they are a huge 17 points off the top four, which is incredible considering that the team have finished fourth in each of their last three La Liga campaigns.
Sevilla were 2-1 winners over Almeria in the league last time out, and they now have three La Liga fixtures against Getafe, Cadiz and Celta Vigo before heading to Man United for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on April 12.
Team News
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Getafe will be without the services of Domingos Duarte and Omar Alderete for this match through suspension, with the former sent off against Cadiz, while the latter picked up a milestone yellow card.
As a result, two of the back three from that match will have to be changed, while Mauro Arambarri is again expected to be unavailable due to a muscular issue.
Stefan Mitrovic and Gaston Alvarez could be introduced into the XI, while Carles Alena is also battling to be involved from the first whistle on Sunday, potentially in a deeper midfield position.
As for Sevilla, Fernando remains on the sidelines through suspension, while Karim Rekik, Papu Gomez and Marcao are still unavailable for selection due to fitness issues.
The squad will be boosted by the return of Gonzalo Montiel and Pape Gueye, though, with the pair both suspended for the success over Almeria last time out.
Head coach Sampaoli will make changes from the side that started against Fenerbahce in the Europa League, with Erik Lamela, Lucas Ocampos and Joan Jordan among those expected to come into the XI.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Dakonam, Alvarez, Mitrovic; Suarez, Maksimovic, Alena, Iglesias; Mayoral, Unal, El Haddadi
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Nianzou, Bade, Gudelj; Montiel, Jordan, Rakitic, Acuna; Lamela, En-Nesyri, Ocampos
We say: Getafe 1-1 Sevilla
This is a tough match for Sevilla off the back of a European fixture, particularly as Getafe are not losing too many at the moment despite their position in the table. It would not be a shock to see a home or indeed an away victory, but we just have a feeling that a tight game will finish all square on Sunday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
