Overview
Girona is showing very impressive form in La Liga when winning 4 of their last 5 matches, including 3 consecutive victories against Mallorca, Osasuna and Espanyol.
The series of positive results helped the Catalan team escape the danger zone and rise to 12th place in the rankings. They created a 5-point gap compared to the current relegation group Real Oviedo, Levante and Alaves.
Last season, Girona only finished in 16th place and was one point ahead of the relegation group. However, they created a miracle in the 2023-2024 season when they finished third overall - the best achievement in club history - thereby winning a ticket to the Champions League.
This season, coach Michel's team has only won 12 points after 10 home matches in La Liga, while Getafe has a fairly similar record with 10 points after 10 away games.
In the first leg of the season, Getafe once won 2-1 against Girona. In the previous season, each team also had one defeat against the opponent with the same score of 2-1 at home.
In all competitions, the two teams have only faced each other 15 times, of which each side has 6 wins and 3 matches ended in a draw.
Getafe entered this match after a 0-1 defeat to Valencia right at home. That is the result reflecting the declining performance of coach Jose Bordalas' team, when they have not won any victories in La Liga since the end of November - the time they defeated Elche with a score of 1-0.
In the last 6 rounds, the capital team has only won a meager 1 point and is currently ranked 16th in the rankings, 2 points ahead of the relegation group.
Despite only having one season absent from La Liga since 2004, Getafe is facing the risk of falling into relegation battles. This team has also never finished the season in the top half of the table since the 2019-2020 season, showing a clear decline in recent years.
Personnel situation
Girona will continue to face many personnel difficulties in the upcoming match. Juan Carlos, Donny van de Beek, Portu and Cristhian Stuani are all absent due to injury.
Abel Ruiz and Axel Witsel still need to be checked for fitness before the ball rolls, while Arnau Martinez and Lancinet Kourouma cannot participate due to suspension.
In the front line, Thomas Lemar is likely to be arranged to play as an attacking midfielder in coach Michel's scheme, while Vladyslav Vanat is expected to take on the role of center forward.
On Getafe's side, Davinchi and Borja Mayoral are definitely absent due to injury. Abdel Abqar, Abu Kamara and Kiko Femenia are still open to play and will be assessed in the final training session.
Mario Martin - the striker who has scored 5 goals for Getafe in La Liga this season - is likely to continue to play as a starter in attack, while Adrian Liso will operate in the area of one-third of the final field.
Newcomer Martin Satriano, who joined Getafe on loan from Lyon in mid-January, is expected to have his second consecutive start in the capital team's colors.
Expected lineup:
Gazzaniga, Rincon, Reis, Blind, Moreno, Beltran, Martin, Tsygankov, Lemar, Gil, Vanat.
Soria, Iglesias, Dakonam, Duarte, Rico, Munoz, Arambarri, Milla, Martin, Satriano, Liso.
The match between Girona and Getafe takes place at 3:00 AM on January 27 (Vietnam time).
