Sports Mole previews Monday’s La Liga clash between Getafe and Espanyol, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Two teams struggling towards the bottom of the La Liga table will lock horns on Monday night, with Getafe welcoming Espanyol to Estadio Coliseum.
Both sides will enter the match off the back of Copa del Rey clashes, with Getafe advancing to round three courtesy of a penalty-shootout win over Orihuela, while Espanyol suffered a 2-0 defeat to Barbastro.
Match preview
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Getafe were given a scare by fourth-tier outfit Orihuela in the Copa del Rey on Thursday night, but they managed to triumph on penalties following a goalless draw to advance to the third round of the competition.
Jose Bordalas‘ side have been victorious in three of their last four matches in all competitions, but they were beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid at Bernabeu in Spain’s top flight last weekend.
The Deep Blue Ones have a record of two wins, seven draws and six defeats from their 15 league matches this season, which has left them in 17th spot in the table on 13 points.
Getafe have been the draw specialists in La Liga this term, sharing the points on seven occasions, while goals have been a real issue in 2024-25, scoring just 10, which is the joint-worst record in the division.
The capital outfit have been solid defensively, though, conceding only 13, which is the third-best record in Spain’s top flight behind Atletico Madrid (eight) and Real Sociedad (11).
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Espanyol, meanwhile, are currently 18th in the table, with a record of four wins, one draw and nine defeats from 14 matches bringing them 13 points, level on points with 17th-placed Getafe.
The Catalan outfit were 3-1 winners over Celta Vigo in La Liga last weekend, but they will enter this game off the back of a 2-0 defeat to fourth-tier side Barbastro in the Copa del Rey.
Manolo Gonzalez‘s side now only have the league to focus on for the remainder of the season, and any spot over 18th would represent a successful campaign, with the team battling to stay in the top flight.
The White and Blues have actually won each of their last three La Liga matches with Getafe, including a 2-1 success in the corresponding fixture during the 2022-23 campaign.
Espanyol have only been beaten once by Getafe in Spain’s top flight since December 2018, meanwhile, so they have fond memories of their recent encounters with the capital outfit.
Getafe La Liga form:
Getafe form (all competitions):
Espanyol La Liga form:
Espanyol form (all competitions):
Team News
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Getafe’s squad will be boosted by the returns of Djene Dakonam and Bertug Yildirim, with the pair missing out against Real Madrid in the league last time out through suspension.
Carles Alena and Borja Mayoral remain unavailable for selection through injury, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape, and the likes of Mauro Arambarri, Luis Milla and Juan Iglesias will return to the XI after starting on the bench in the cup.
Alvaro Rodriguez, who is on loan from Real Madrid, is likely to earn another spot in the final third of the field, while Carles Perez should continue in a wide area for the capital side.
As for Espanyol, Jose Gragera and Fernando Calero will miss the match through injury, while Marash Kumbulla is suspended due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up against Celta.
Sergi Gomez is therefore set for a role in the middle of the defence, while there will be changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey.
Irvin Cardona will return at centre-forward for the Catalan side, while Brian Olivan, Joan Garcia, Alex Kral and Justin Smith are also set to come back into the side for the league contest.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Iglesias, Dakonam, Alderete, Rico; Nyom, Milla, Arambarri, Perez; Yildirim, Rodriguez
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
J Garcia; El Hilali, S Gomez, Cabrera, Olivan; Carreras, Smith, Lozano, Kral, Puado; I Cardona
We say: Getafe 1-1 Espanyol
Getafe have drawn five of their eight home league matches this season, suffering just one defeat in the process, while they have only conceded four times in front of their own fans in 2024-25. Espanyol have lost each of their last five league fixtures on their travels, but we fancy the Catalan side to navigate their way to a point here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
