Getafe vs Real Madrid

Coliseum Alfonso Perez is the venue as perennial La Liga strugglers Getafe and high-flying Real Madrid lock horns in contrasting circumstances.

Getafe’s mini-revival featuring back-to-back league wins via an aggregate score of 4-1 ended last weekend as they squandered an early lead in a 3-2 defeat at Rayo Vallecano. Only three points clear of the relegation zone, ‘El Geta’ must be desperate to bounce back against a Real Madrid side they’ve kept goalless in both previous La Liga H2Hs at home (W1, D1). Getafe could go unbeaten in three consecutive home league meetings with Madrid for the second time in the new millennium. However, after picking up just one win in their last 13 La Liga matches against sides from Comunidad de Madrid (D3, L9), Quique Sanchez Flores’ men go into this encounter as pre-match underdogs. Adding to this sentiment, they’ve won just once in their last eight home league outings (D4, L3).

Meanwhile, visiting Real Madrid notched up two first-half goals during a 2-1 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek Champions League action to solidify the top spot in Group F (W3). Despite being knocked down from a 100% six-game start to their La Liga title defence by Osasuna last weekend (1-1), Carlo Ancelotti’s men come into this round confident of posting a fifth successive La Liga win on the road. Interestingly, Madrid’s almost perfect seven-game league start (W6, D1) has seen ‘Los Merengues’ fail to keep a clean sheet in seven consecutive top-flight outings for the first time since September 2019. So scoring first could prove crucial, especially considering the last four La Liga meetings between Getafe and Madrid here have seen one or both sides fail to find the net.