Mid-table Battle in La Liga
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The Friday night action in La Liga this week features two teams in mid-table as Getafe welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
The hosts start this match sitting 9th in La Liga and have enjoyed a good first half of the campaign. A win could see them go up as high as 6th in the league and that will see Getafe move into the European qualifying positions.
Athletic Bilbao start the match in 12th place, just 1 point behind Getafe. A win for the visitors could see them move up as far as 7th in the table, so this is a hugely important game for both teams.
Trends show Getafe have been very inconsistent this season and have won six of their last fifteen games in all competitions. However, when it comes to playing at home, Getafe have been superb and have won five of their last six La Liga games.
In fact, Getafe are undefeated in twenty-four of their last twenty-eight games at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez and enjoy playing in-front of their own fans.
Defensively they have been excellent at home and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four home La Liga matches. Getafe have conceded just 2 goals in their last six home league games and will be hoping for another clean sheet in Friday night.
However, trends show Athletic Bilbao are on a run of eight games without defeat in La Liga and are going to provide a tough test for the home team.
Away from home in all competitions, Athletic Bilbao have remained undefeated in their last five games, following a dreadful run of form which saw them go eight games without a win on the road earlier this season.
In their last five away games, Athletic Bilbao have defeated Zorya in the Europa League and Levante and Espanyol in La Liga. There have also been draws against Espanyol and Levante in the Spanish league.
Much like their hosts, Athletic Bilbao have been good defensively in recent matches and have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven in all competitions. They have also scored at least one goal in each of their last five away league games.
Team news and Getafe will be without defensive midfielder Markel Bergara, who has a knee injury. There are also doubts over the fitness of Leandro Cabrera and the centre-back may be forced to miss the game.
Athletic Bilbao will travel without Iker Muniain and Mikel Balenziaga who are both out until February at the earliest. There are also doubts over full-back Oscar de Marcos and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Both teams know a win could see them make significant moves up the table this weekend. Getafe have been very strong at home and their defence could prove difficult for the visitors to break down, leaving us with a low scoring draw.
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