Nuevo Estadio de Los Carmenes will play host to an intriguing contest Copa del Rey contest on Friday evening, with second-tier outfit Granada welcoming La Liga side Getafe in the last-32 stage of the competition.
Granada drew 1-1 with Eibar in their last match before the winter break, which left them seventh in the Segunda Division table, while Getafe, who are 17th in the La Liga table, have lost their last two against Atletico Madrid and Mallorca.
Match preview
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Granada finished bottom of the 2023-24 La Liga table to drop into the Segunda Division, but they are in the mix to challenge for an immediate return to the top flight for the 2025-26 campaign.
Indeed, a total of 33 points from 21 matches has left them in seventh spot in the second tier, level on points with sixth-placed Huesca, while they are only five points off second-placed Mirandes on the same number of games.
Fran Escriba's side have only lost one of their last five games in all competitions, including a 1-1 draw against Eibar in the league last time out, while they beat Real Zaragoza on penalties in the last round of the Copa del Rey.
Granada have never won the Copa del Rey, with their best performance in the competition coming in 1958-59, when they reached the final, losing 4-1 to Barcelona after beating Valencia in the semi-finals.
Grana have not actually beaten Friday's opponents since October 2020, and the last meeting between the two sides, which took place in La Liga last January, ended in a 2-0 success for Getafe.
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Getafe, meanwhile, entered the winter break in Spain off the back of a successive league defeats to Atletico and Mallorca, and they currently sit 17th in the La Liga table, picking up only 16 points from 18 matches.
The capital side actually have the third-best defensive record in La Liga this term, conceding just 15 times, but they have the worst attacking record, finding the back of the net on just 11 occasions.
The Deep Blue Ones have also never won the Copa del Rey, but they have reached the final on two previous occasions, with their last appearance in the showpiece event coming in 2007-08.
Avoiding relegation will, for obvious reasons, be their main priority this season, with the Copa del Rey not particularly high on their list of priorities, but they will be determined to avoid what would be a disappointing elimination.
Getafe have had to win twice to reach this stage of the 2024-25 Copa del Rey, beating Manises and Orihuela, and they have actually been victorious in six of their last seven games in the competition.
Team News
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Granada's star man this season has been Myrto Uzuni, with the 29-year-old scoring 14 times in 18 appearances, and he is expected to feature in the final third of the field on Friday night.
Shon Weissman has scored four times in 20 appearances, and he is likely to feature alongside Uzuni in a front two.
Siren Diao is expected to be the player to miss out when it comes to the starting roles in the final third, but there should be spots for both Manu Trigueros and Theo Corbeanu in midfield.
As for Getafe, Borja Mayoral and Carles Alena will miss the match through injury, but there is a chance that Allan Nyom will be back in the squad after a recent muscular problem.
Head coach Jose Bordalas is expected to make changes to the side that started the clash with Mallorca last time out, with Juan Berrocal, Carles Perez, Alvaro Rodriguez and Jiri Letacek among those set to start.
Alex Sola and Yellu Santiago are also likely to be among the changes for the Copa del Rey fixture.
Granada possible starting lineup:
Zidane; Lama, Williams, Perez; Sanchez, Corbeanu, Ruiz, Trigueros, Rodelas; Uzuni, Weissman
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Letacek; Iglesias, Berrocal, Alderete, Rico; Arambarri, Santiago; Sola, Uche, Perez; Rodriguez
We say: Granada 2-1 Getafe
This is a really tough match to call, as Granada are a strong outfit and will fancy their chances of overcoming a struggling team in Spain's top flight; Getafe have been strong defensively in La Liga this term, but we are predicting a narrow success for the hosts here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
