Athletic Bilbao will be looking to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome Getafe to San Mames on Friday night.
The Basque outfit, who occupy eighth position in the table, will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 loss to Real Betis, while Getafe secured a point in a goalless draw with Valencia last time out.
Match preview
© Reuters
Athletic have won 10, drawn 10 and lost eight of their 28 league matches this season to collect 40 points, which has left them in eighth position, three points clear of ninth-placed Valencia and seven behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad, so it would not be a surprise to see them finish just outside the European spots.
Marcelino's side, who were beaten by Valencia in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey earlier this month, have won two and lost three of their last five league matches, and they will enter this game off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis on March 13, with Borja Iglesias scoring the only goal of the contest.
Athletic finished 10th in La Liga last term, and they have not placed higher than eighth since 2016-17, so a top-eight spot would be a success this season, but there is still a lot of football to be played.
The Basque club have picked up 23 points from their 13 home league games this season and will be taking on a Getafe outfit that are yet to win on their travels in Spain's top flight in 2021-22.
Athletic also thumped Getafe 5-1 in the corresponding match between the two sides last season, although they played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse match in Madrid earlier this term.
© Reuters
Getafe's winless run in La Liga stretched to five matches on March 12 when they played out a 0-0 draw with Valencia, with the result leaving them in 15th position in the table.
The capital outfit are very much in a relegation fight this season, sitting just four points clear of the bottom three, and they have found it difficult to record wins this term, picking up maximum points in just six of their 28 fixtures, which is a disappointing record.
Getafe actually finished eighth, fifth and eighth in Spain's top flight between 2018 and 2020, but they were 15th last term, and it has been another disappointing campaign for the club thus far.
Quique Sanchez Flores's side, as mentioned, are yet to win a single away match in La Liga this term, which is a concerning record as they battle against relegation to the second tier.
Getafe have only lost one of their last four in the league, though, and would certainly view a point away to Athletic as a step in the right direction ahead of a huge game against Mallorca at the start of April.
- W
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
- D
- D
- L
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Athletic will again be missing Ander Capa, Dani Garcia, Inigo Martinez and Julen Agirrezabala through injury for Friday's contest with Getafe.
The Basque outfit do not have any fresh concerns entering the match, and head coach Marcelino is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack for this game.
There could be a change in central midfield, though, with Oier Zarraga pushing to replace Mikel Vesga, while Raul Garcia could replace Oihan Sancet in the final third.
As for Getafe, head coach Flores could have a full squad available for the match, with the club reporting no injury problems ahead of the contest.
The relegation-threatened side performed impressively in their goalless draw with Valencia last time out, so it would not be a surprise to see a similar XI take to the field.
Borja Mayoral is pushing to replace Sandro Ramirez in the final third, though, while Juan Iglesias and Oscar Rodriguez will also be in contention for starting roles on Friday.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Yuri; Berenguer, Vencedor, Zarraga, Muniain; R Garcia, I Williams
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Suarez, Dakonam, Mitrovic, Cuenca, Olivera; Alena, Arambarri, Maksimovic; Mayoral, Unal
We say: Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Getafe
Getafe are more than capable of picking up a positive result on Friday, but it is very difficult to back the capital outfit on their travels due to their struggles this term. Athletic will be determined to return to winning ways, and we are expecting the home side to collect all three points courtesy of a 1-0 success.
