Two teams battling for top-half finishes in La Liga this season will lock horns at Mestalla on Saturday afternoon, with Valencia welcoming Getafe for an intriguing contest.
Valencia are currently ninth in the table, boasting 37 points from their 26 league matches this season, while Getafe occupy 11th position, two points behind their opponents here, having played a game more.
Match preview
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Valencia led 2-0 against division leaders Real Madrid last weekend, with efforts from Hugo Duro and Roman Yaremchuk handing Los Che a two-goal advantage inside the opening 30 minutes, but Vinicius Junior responded with a brace to secure a share of the spoils for Los Blancos.
Ruben Baraja's side can take plenty of encouragement from their clash with Real Madrid, but they have now only won one of their last five in the league after four straight victories between December 19 and January 20.
Valencia occupy ninth position in the table, boasting a record of 10 wins, seven draws and nine defeats to collect 37 points, which has left them five points behind sixth-placed Real Betis with a game in hand.
A European finish is therefore still on for Los Che, who have been impressive at home this season, picking up 25 points from 13 matches, recording seven wins in the process.
Valencia recorded a 5-1 win in the corresponding match between the two sides last term, but Getafe have won their last two encounters 1-0, including the reverse game in Madrid back in December.
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Getafe, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 3-3 draw with Las Palmas on home soil; the capital side led 2-0 and 3-1 on the night but were ultimately made to settle for a share of the spoils.
Jose Bordalas's side have won eight, drawn 11 and lost eight of their 27 league matches this season to collect 35 points, which has left them in 11th spot in the table, just two points behind eighth-placed Las Palmas.
The Deep Blue Ones have finished 15th in each of their last three campaigns, but a top-half position is certainly open for them this term, providing that they can find some consistency in the closing months of the season.
Getafe have won just one of their last six in the league, drawing three times during that run, but their last away match in Spain's top flight proved to be a 4-0 defeat at Barcelona on February 24.
Bordalas's team have only managed to win once on their travels in La Liga this term, although they have shared the points in seven of their 14 fixtures on the road, including draws with Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid.
Team News
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Valencia will have to make at least one change to their starting side from the clash with Real Madrid, as Mouctar Diakhaby suffered a serious knee injury in the latter stages of the contest.
Cenk Ozkacar is expected to replace Diakhaby in the middle of the defence, which could potentially be the only alteration from the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Los Blancos.
Yaremchuk will require a late fitness test on a muscular problem, though, while Hugo Guillamon is also pushing to be included in the XI, having dropped down to the bench for the 2-2 draw with the league leaders.
Getafe, meanwhile, have lost leading goalscorer Borja Mayoral for the remainder of the season due to the serious knee injury that the striker suffered against Las Palmas last time out.
Mauro Arambarri is also out for the rest of the campaign due to an ACL injury, while Mason Greenwood is suspended after picking up a milestone yellow card in the game with Las Palmas.
Getafe will therefore be without two huge goal threats for this contest, which could see Oscar Rodriguez and Juanmi Latasa come into the side, while Djene Dakonam and Omar Alderete should also be in the XI, having missed the team's last match due to suspensions.
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Mosquera, Ozkacar, Gaya; Perez, Pepelu, Guerra, Canos; Duro, Yaremchuk
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Dakonam, Alderete, Alvarez, Rico; Maksimovic, Milla, Moriba; Rodriguez, Latasa, Mata
We say: Valencia 1-0 Getafe
The absences of Mayoral and Greenwood will be felt by Getafe, and we are backing Valencia to edge a close contest on Saturday. Los Che have not lost at home to Getafe in La Liga since April 2018, and we are expecting their unbeaten run in this fixture to continue this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
