Sevilla will be looking to make it two wins from two matches at the start of their 2021-22 La Liga campaign when they travel to Madrid on Monday evening to take on Getafe.
Julen Lopetegui's side opened their season with a 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano last weekend, while Getafe suffered a 1-0 loss to Valencia in their first match of the new campaign.
Match preview
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There is no getting away from the fact that 2020-21 was a disappointing campaign for Getafe, as they finished down in 15th position in the table, just four points clear of the relegation zone.
The Blues claimed eighth, fifth and eighth in Spain's top flight between 2017 and 2020, and there was perhaps a hint of complacency last season, which almost cost them their spot at this level of football.
Now under the management of former Real Madrid midfielder Michel, who has returned for a second spell in charge, Getafe opened their 2021-22 campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Valencia on August 13, with Carlos Soler's first-half penalty proving to be the difference between the two sides.
The capital club have signed Carles Alena, Sandro Ramirez, Stefan Mitrovic, Dario Poveda, Diego Conde, Vitolo and Jose Macias this summer, and the squad certainly looks deeper than it was last term.
Getafe have lost their last four La Liga matches with Sevilla, including a 3-0 defeat when the pair last locked horns in February, and it is set to be a tough assignment for the hosts on Monday night.
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Sevilla, meanwhile, opened their 2021-22 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano last weekend; Youssef En-Nesyri made the breakthrough in the 19th minute of the contest before summer arrival Erik Lamela scored twice in the second half at Estadio Ramon.
Lopetegui's side finished fourth in Spain's top flight last season, just two points behind third-place Barcelona, and there is no question that the club will be targeting another top-four finish this term.
Los Nervionenses, who will play in the group stages of this season's Champions League, have boosted their squad this summer with the arrivals of Lamela, Marko Dmitrovic, Ludwig Augustinsson, Gonzalo Montiel and Rafa Mir.
Bryan Gil has been the major outgoing in the current window, although the likes of Sergi Gomez, Franco Vazquez, Tomas Vaclik, Aleix Vidal and Sergio Escudero have also been allowed to move on.
Sevilla had the fourth-best away form in La Liga last season, and as mentioned, they have enjoyed their recent meetings with Getafe, winning each of the last four contests in the league.
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Team News
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Getafe will again be without the services of Sabit Abdulai due to a knee injury, but Erick Cabaco is available, as the red card that the centre-back received against Valencia has been overturned.
Timor is also available following a suspension, while Allan Nyom should be in the squad, meaning that Michel has plenty of options to choose from heading into the second match of the season.
Marc Cucurella continues to be linked with a move away from the club and could therefore be left out, with Carlos Alena, Vitolo, Sandro and Enes Unal all potentially featuring in attacking positions for the home side.
As for Sevilla, Lucas Ocampos and Oliver Torres are still absent through injury, while Bono, Suso and Ivan Rakitic are all doubts following recent positive coronavirus tests.
Jules Kounde is expected to retain his spot in the middle of the defence despite the speculation linking him with a move to Chelsea, while Lamela's two-goal showing against Rayo off the bench should earn him a start.
New signing Mir is also pushing to be involved in the squad, but En-Nesyri should lead the line from the first whistle, with Oscar Rodriguez and Papu Gomez also operating in advanced areas.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Damian, Dakonam, Cabaco, Olivera; Vitolo, Maksimovic, Arambarri, Alena; Sandro, Unal
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Acuna; Jordan, Fernando; Rodriguez, Gomez, Lamela; En-Nesyri
We say: Getafe 1-2 Sevilla
Getafe are more than capable of making this a tricky match for Sevilla, but it is difficult to ignore the form book when predicting this result. Sevilla's recent record in this fixture is impressive, and their performance on the opening weekend has led us to back an away victory on Monday night.
Top tip
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 Sevilla win with a probability of 46.17%. A draw had a probability of 29.3% and a win for Getafe had a probability of 24.53%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sevilla win was 0-1 with a probability of 15.72%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.8%) and 1-2 (8.07%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.95%), while for a Getafe win it was 1-0 (10.39%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 15.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Sevilla in this match.
