Two teams hovering at the wrong end of the La Liga table will lock horns at Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Monday evening as Getafe welcome Elche.
Getafe have lost all three of their league fixtures at the start of the 2021-22 campaign to sit 19th in the division, while Elche are 15th with two points to show from their opening three matches.
Match preview
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Getafe finished eighth, fifth and eighth in their first three seasons back at this level of football after dropping out of the top flight for 2016-17, but they ended last term down in 15th, just four points above the bottom three.
The Deep Blue Ones have also found it difficult to perform in the early stages of this season, losing each of their three league matches against Valencia, Sevilla and Barcelona, scoring just once in the process.
The strength of the opposition must be taken into account, though, and Getafe impressed in their defeat at Barcelona before the international break, suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Ronald Koeman's side.
Michel's team certainly have some easier matches on paper to come - facing Rayo Vallecano next weekend - but Atletico Madrid will be the next team to travel to Coliseum Alfonso Perez after Elche, and it is vital that the club put a win on the board as soon as possible.
Getafe's recent record against Elche is strong, remaining unbeaten in their last four meetings, recording two wins in the process, but the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the corresponding match last term.
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Elche, meanwhile, have picked up two points from their first three matches of the season, and like Getafe, they have had some tough fixtures, taking on Athletic Bilbao, Atletico and Sevilla.
Fran Escriba's team opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Athletic on August 16 before suffering a 1-0 loss to Atletico at Wanda Metropolitano on August 22.
Elche then held Sevilla to a 1-1 draw before the international break, with Enzo Roco's first-half effort proving enough to secure a share of the spoils against Julen Lopetegui's side during a strong performance.
The Green-striped ones finished 17th on their return to the top flight last season, and they were only two points above the relegation zone, so it would not be a surprise to see another tough campaign for the club.
Elche's performances in the early stages of the season have been positive, though, and they will have earmarked Monday's clash as the perfect chance to put their first three points on the board.
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Team News
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Getafe will be without the services of Sabit Abdulai on Monday through injury, while Vitolo is still a doubt with a calf problem.
Head coach Michel will have been encouraged by his team's performance in the defeat at Barcelona before the international break, and Sandro Ramirez should again be joined in attack by Enes Unal.
The same midfield four should also remain in place, but there is likely to be a change at the back, with Damian Suarez set to come into the starting XI in place of Juan Iglesias.
Elche, meanwhile, impressed in a 3-5-2 formation against Sevilla before the international break, and the majority of the side that lined up for that match should again start here.
Lucas Boye is likely to be joined in the final third of the field by Dario Benedetto, with Raul Guti, Fidel and Ivan Marcone lining up as the midfielders.
Boye had emerged as a slight doubt for Monday's fixture but has since been in training, while Pedro Bigas should overcome a knock to feature in the middle of the defence.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Suarez, Dakonam, Mitrovic, Olivera; Alena, Arambarri, Maksimovic, Jankto; Sandro, Unal
Elche possible starting lineup:
Casilla; Verdu, Bigas, Roco; Josan, Fidel, Guti, Marcone, Mojica; Boye, Benedetto
We say: Getafe 1-1 Elche
We are finding it incredibly difficult to separate the two sides here taking everything into consideration. Both teams have put in some strong performances despite their disappointing totals, and we can see the pair playing out a low-scoring draw in a tight contest.
Top tip
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Getafe win with a probability of 43.55%. A draw had a probability of 31.5% and a win for Elche had a probability of 24.95%.
The most likely scoreline for a Getafe win was 1-0 with a probability of 17.14%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.48%) and 2-1 (7.19%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 0-0 (15.51%), while for a Elche win it was 0-1 (11.76%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with an 11.8% likelihood.
