Preview: Espanyol vs. Getafe - prediction, team news, lineups

Espanyol will enter the contest off the back of a 4-2 loss to Villarreal on Thursday, while Getafe suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Almeria on Wednesday, and both sides are facing the threat of relegation.

Match preview

Espanyol are without a victory in Spain's top flight since the end of February, with a disastrous run of form seeing them drop into the relegation zone heading towards the final straight.

The Catalan outfit have lost seven of their last eight league games, failing to win in the process, and they will enter this contest off the back of a 4-2 defeat at Villarreal, which left them in 19th spot in the table.

The gap to 17th-placed Cadiz is now four points, so Espanyol cannot afford for that to become bigger in the next set of fixtures, which highlights the importance of the contest with Getafe.

Luis Garcia has now been in charge of four matches as Espanyol boss, boasting a record of one draw and three defeats, while the Blue and Whites have found it difficult to pick up results in front of their own fans this season, claiming just 14 points, which is the second-worst home record in the division.

The Catalan side have won their last two league games against Getafe, though, including a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture between the two sides in the middle of January.

Getafe have only played outside of Spain's top flight for one season since 2004, so it would be a surprise if they were relegated to the Segunda Division for the 2023-24 campaign.

The Deep Blue Ones are currently in the bottom three, picking up just 31 points from 31 matches during a tough season, but they are only one point behind 17th-placed Cadiz.

Getafe have not been victorious in the league since the middle of March, while they have lost three of their last four matches, including their last two against Mallorca and Almeria.

The decision was made after the Almeria contest to sack Quique Sanchez Flores as head coach, and the club have now confirmed Ruben Reyes as his replacement.

Reyes, who played for Getafe during the 2003-04 campaign, is the club's sporting director, but he has now been tasked with leading the first team, which is a big call for a side currently in trouble.

Espanyol La Liga form:

L

L

L

L

D

L

Getafe La Liga form:

W

D

L

D

L

L

Team News

Espanyol will welcome Aleix Vidal back into their squad this weekend following suspension, but Brian Olivan remains on the sidelines for the Catalan outfit through injury.

The home side will have another two absentees on Sunday through suspension, meanwhile, with Cesar Montes and Eduardo Exposito both out; the former was booked against Villarreal, while the latter received a red card in the final stages of the contest.

There could be a reshuffle at the back, with Oscar Gil moving out to right-back and Fernando Calero coming into the middle, which would allow Adria Pedrosa to feature on the left.

As for Getafe, key central defender Djene Dakonam will be suspended following his red card against Almeria, while Juan Iglesias is also banned due to the booking that he received off the bench.

New head coach Reyes is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes for this match, but there could be a starting role for Carles Alena in midfield.

Meanwhile, there will have to be at least one alteration at the back, with Stefan Mitrovic set to come into the XI as Dakonam's replacement.

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Pacheco; Gil, Calero, Gomez, Pedrosa; Bare, Vinicius, Darder; Puado, Joselu, Braithwaite

Getafe possible starting lineup:

Soria; Mitrovic, Duarte, Alderete; Suarez, Maksimovic, Alena, Portu; Mayoral, Unal, El Haddadi

We say: Espanyol 1-1 Getafe

Both teams will be desperate not to lose this match, which is likely to create a cagey affair. There is not an awful lot between the sides in terms of quality, and it is difficult to back either with any real confidence, so we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw here.

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