Espanyol will be hoping to steer further clear of the relegation zone when Getafe come to the RCDE Stadium on Friday night.
Indeed, the hosts are in 15th place in the La Liga table and six points clear of the drop zone, and also have a game in hand on the teams in and around them. They have had some excellent results of late, winning two on the spin away from home in the league without conceding.
In fact, Espanyol are unbeaten in four matches in all competitions, and have scored an impressive 12 goals across those at an average of three per game. They are also unbeaten in 10 home matches since losing 2-0 to Sevilla in October, and will fancy their chances against Getafe.
The visitors are four points and four places better off than Espanyol in the table, and will be hoping for a late charge that could see them sneak into the European spots come the end of the season. Getafe's form has been inconsistent of late though, with five wins and five defeats over their last 10 games in all competitions.
They have won the previous two H2Hs though, although Espanyol won the three prior. There have been no draws in the past six meetings.
How the bookies view it: Espanyol marginal favourites
BoyleSports have Espanyol as marginal 17/10 favourites to continue their impressive form on home soil, while interestingly, a draw and a Getafe victory are valued the same at 9/5 odds.
Recent head-to-head: Getafe edge close encounter
Getafe edged the reverse fixture 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Alvaro Rodriguez. What was noticeable is that as many as nine yellow cards were dished out in the game, and with both teams vying to achieve their goals come the end of the season, there could be a few more battles on the pitch on Friday.
Players to watch: Another Garcia clean sheet?
Joan Garcia has been strongly linked with a potential move to Premier League heavyweights Arsenal in the summer transfer window, and it is easy to see why. Indeed, the goalkeeper has kept two clean sheets in a row, helping Espanyol record back-to-back victories.
Omar Alderete scored Getafe's only goal in a 3-1 defeat at home to Las Palmas last time out, and with fellow defender Diego Rico getting sent off in that game and suspended for Friday, the onus will be on him to defend well against an in-form Espanyol.
Predicted lineups
Javi Puado misses out for Espanyol through suspension, while Jose Gragera and Brian Olivan are both out injured.
Rico is also suspended for this one having been sent off for Getafe last time out, but there are no fresh injury concerns for the visitors.
Espanyol: Garcia, El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero, Gonzalez, Lozano, Roca, Exposito, Kral, Fernandez.
Getafe: Soria, Dakonam, Duarte, Alderete, Iglesias, Terrats, Milla, Arambarri, Coba, Mayoral, Uche.
Anything else catch the eye?
Four of the last five H2Hs, including the previous three, have not seen both teams score, so backing against Both Teams To Score (BTTS) at 8/13 with BoyleSports seems wise. Roberto Fernandez is in great form for Espanyol with three goals across their last two wins, and can be backed to score anytime at 7/2 with Bet365.
This La Liga match between Espanyol and Getafe will be played on and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Espanyol vs Getafe prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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