Preview: Leganes vs. Granada - prediction, team news, lineups

Leganes will be looking to move off the bottom of the La Liga table when they welcome top-five challengers Granada to the Estadio Municipal de Butarque on Monday night.

The hosts have only picked up 24 points from their 30 league matches this season to sit at the foot of the division, while Granada occupy ninth spot, just five points off fifth position.

Match preview

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Leganes came close to suffering a damaging defeat away to fellow strugglers Mallorca on Friday night, but Oscar Rodriguez produced an 87th-minute leveller to ensure that the league's basement side would pick up something for their efforts in Palma.

The point was not enough to move Javier Aguirre 's side off the bottom of the table, but they are only three points behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo as things stand, which is far from a terminal position.

There is certainly enough time for Leganes to escape the bottom three, and their fixture list in the coming weeks is relatively kind, with a potentially key match to come away to Espanyol on July 4.

Los Pepineros finished 13th in La Liga last season after claiming 17th in both 2016-17 and 2017-18, but they are certainly facing a battle to remain in the division for the 2020-21 campaign.

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Granada, meanwhile, were only promoted back to this level courtesy of finishing second in the Segunda Division last season, but they have no relegation fears at this stage of the campaign.

El Grana are actually looking up the division rather than down, having picked up an impressive 42 points from their 30 matches to sit ninth in the table, 16 points clear of the relegation zone.

Diego Martinez 's side are actually only five points off fifth position, although it is likely that the picture will change by the time that this particular game kicks off on Monday night.

Granada will enter this match off the back of a disappointing result, having lost 1-0 at home to Villarreal on Friday, although the reverse against the Yellow Submarine was their first league defeat in seven games.

Leganes La Liga form: LDWLLD

Granada La Liga form: WDDWDL

Granada form (all competitions): DWDWDL

Team News

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Alexander Szymanowski is still unavailable for Leganes through injury, but the home side did not pick up any fresh concerns in their 1-1 draw with Mallorca on Friday night.

Aguirre is likely to consider shuffling his pack or Monday's clash, though, with Roque Mesa and Roberto Rosales likely to return to the starting XI.

Jonathan Silva was not involved against Mallorca but should also return for this game, while Guido Carrillo is again expected to be joined by Rodriguez in the final third of the field.

As for Granada, a lengthy injury list includes Jose Antonio Martinez, Maxime Gonalons, Angel Montoro, Alex Martinez, Quini and Neyder Lozano.

Dimitri Foulquier and Darwin Machis were both left out of the starting XI against Villarreal but should return for this one, while Roberto Soldado is expected to keep his spot at the tip of the attack.

Leganes possible starting lineup:

Pichu; Awaziem, Omeruo, Bustinza; Rosales, Amadou, Perez, Mesa, Silva; Carrillo, Rodriguez

Granada possible starting lineup:

Silva; Foulquier, Duarte, Sanchez, Neva; Eteki, Herrera; Puertas, Fernandez, Machis; Soldado

We say: Leganes 1-2 Granada

Granada will be keen to return to winning ways following the disappointment of Friday's defeat to Villarreal, and we are finding it difficult to back against the visitors. Leganes have only won one of their last eight in the league, and we are predicting another difficult night for the league's basement club.