Getafe will be bidding to make it back-to-back victories in Spain's top flight when they head to Estadio de la Ceramica on Friday evening to take on Villarreal.
The visitors, who are 10th in the La Liga table, will enter the match off the back of a 3-2 home success over Celta Vigo, while 13th-placed Villarreal drew 1-1 with Alaves last time out.
Match preview
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Villarreal finished fifth last season, but the team have underperformed this season, only picking up 25 points from their 24 league matches in 2023-24, which has left them down in 13th spot in the table.
The Yellow Submarine are 13 points behind sixth-placed Real Betis and some 21 points off Athletic Bilbao in fifth, which is an indication of how much they have dropped off this term, but qualification for next season's Champions League could still be secured through the Europa League, with the team active in that competition.
Marcelino's side will bring a four-game unbeaten run in the league into this match, but three of those have been draws against Mallorca, Cadiz and Alaves, and they have only managed to win six La Liga games all season.
Villarreal are eight points behind 10th-placed Getafe, so a win is crucial here if they have ambitions of finishing in the top half of the table, but two of the last three league meetings between these two sides have finished all square, including a 0-0 in the reverse match earlier this season.
The Yellow Submarine have also only won three of their 12 home league games this term, but they will be welcoming a Getafe outfit with just one away victory to their name in La Liga this season.
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Getafe, as mentioned, will enter this contest off the back of a 3-2 success over Celta, with Jaime Mata's second of the match winning it for the capital side in the 89th minute.
Jose Bordalas's side have performed above expectations this season, boasting a record of eight wins, nine draws and seven defeats from 24 matches to collect 33 points, which has left them in 10th spot in the table.
Getafe are only two points behind eighth-place Las Palmas and just five from Real Betis in sixth, so a push for a European spot this season cannot be ruled out, but they will need to find some consistency late in the season.
The Deep Blue Ones, who claimed fifth in 2018-19, have finished 15th in each of the last three campaigns, but they are well on course to improve on that position this term.
The capital outfit have not actually managed to overcome Villarreal in Spain's top flight since January 2019 and have been beaten on each of their last four visits to the Yellow Submarine at this level of football.
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Villarreal still have a lengthy injury list, with Alfonso Pedraza, Ramon Terrats, Dani Parejo, Yeremi Pino and Denis Suarez again unavailable for selection on Friday.
Meanwhile, Eric Bailly and Juan Foyth are major doubts for the Yellow Submarine due to fitness problems.
Head coach Marcelino is expected to keep faith with the same side that started against Alaves last time out, with Gerard Moreno and Alexander Sorloth set to continue in the final third of the field.
Alex Baena is likely to again operate off the left, with Ilias Akhomach playing down the opposite side.
As for Getafe, Mauro Arambarri remains a long-term absentee due to a serious knee injury, but the visitors are otherwise in strong shape heading into this match.
Fabrizio Angileri is expected to be available after a muscular problem, while Gaston Alvarez will also be back in the squad, having served a one-game suspension.
Mata scored a brace while playing as a centre-forward last time out, so the Spaniard should retain his spot in the final third alongside Borja Mayoral, with Jordi Martin possibly operating off the left.
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Femenia, Albiol, Mosquera, Cuenca; Akhomach, Comesana, Coquelin, Baena; G Moreno, Sorloth
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Dakonam, Alvarez, Alderete, Rico; Greenwood, Maksimovic, Milla, Martin; Mata, Mayoral
We say: Villarreal 1-1 Getafe
No team in La Liga this season have drawn more times on their travels than Getafe (six), and we are expecting the points to be shared on Friday night. Villarreal are difficult to back this season due to their inconsistency, and we believe that Getafe will be good enough for a point in this match.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
