Getafe defend unbeaten home run
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The La Liga actions gets underway on Friday night this week as two teams from the bottom half of the table meet.
Getafe host Malaga at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez and a win for either team will have huge implications for the teams around them who are waiting to play on the weekend.
Getafe start the match sitting 11th in the league table with 23 points to their name. A win would move them above Athletic Club into 8th place in La Liga and within 2 points of Villarreal who occupy the final Europa League spot.
Malaga need a win to move themselves closer to safety. Maximum points would not seem them move out of the relegation zone but it will put pressure on the teams around them.
Trends show Getafe have been very inconsistent this season and they are yet to string two wins together in competitive games. However, they have become more difficult to beat in recent weeks, losing three of their last ten La Liga matches.
Home form has been very good recently and this is where Getafe have picked up many of their points this season. Jose Bordalas’ team have won four and drawn one of their last five home league games.
There have been wins over Real Sociedad, Deportivo Alaves, Las Palmas and Valencia, the latter of which was an excellent result. Trends show Getafe have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three home La Liga matches and under 2.5 goals were scored in each of their last six league games, both home and away.
Malaga have been in poor form, winning only one of their last seven matches in all competitions. They have lost each of their last three La Liga games, including defeats at home against Real Betis and Espanyol plus an away loss at the hands of Deportivo Alaves.
Scoring goals has been a problem in those matches and Malaga failed to find the back of the net once in all three games. This is not a new problem and trends show Malaga have scored an average of 0.75 goals per game this season and that’s not good enough.
Away from home, Malaga have lost seven of their eight La Liga games this season and have failed to score in seven of their last ten in all competitions.
Team news and Getafe will be without defensive midfielder Markel Bergara, who is expected to be out until mid-February with injury. Every other player is available and top scorer Angel is expected to lead the attack.
Malaga travel without three players and Juankar, Miguel Torres and Adrian Gonzalez will all miss the match due to injury.
Everything is pointing towards a home win in this match, with Getafe taking the points and keeping a clean sheet in the process.