Two teams struggling towards the wrong end of the La Liga table will lock horns on Monday evening, as Elche welcome Getafe to Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.
The hosts are currently bottom of the division, having picked up just four points from their opening 11 matches, while Getafe occupy 17th, boasting 10 points from their first 11 games of the 2022-23 campaign.
Match preview
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Elche are actually in their third straight campaign at this level of football, which represents their best run in Spain's top flight since the late 1970s, so it is a successful period in the club's history.
Los Franjiverdes could be in for a difficult season, though, as they have only picked up four points from their opening 11 matches, which has left them bottom of the table.
Jorge Almiron's side are yet to win a single league game this term, with their four points arriving courtesy of four draws, while they have the worst defensive record at this stage, having conceded 26 times.
Elche still have more than enough time to rise up the table, though, and they can take encouragement from the fact that just one defeat has arrived in their last four matches, with the loss coming at home to Real Madrid.
Indeed, the strugglers have held Mallorca, Valencia and Espanyol to draws this month, and they are now preparing for fixtures against Getafe, Real Valladolid and Girona before the season breaks.
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Getafe, meanwhile, are operating at this level for the sixth season in a row, but they have finished 15th in their last two campaigns and are currently towards the bottom of Spain's top flight.
A record of two wins, four draws and five defeats from 11 matches has brought them 10 points, which is only enough for 17th spot in the table, one point ahead of 18th-placed Girona.
Quique Sanchez Flores's side have not won in the league since beating Osasuna 2-0 in the middle of September, but they have drawn their last three against Rayo Vallecano, Athletic Bilbao and Celta Vigo.
Getafe have some key matches before the campaign is halted for the World Cup, following this game with fixtures against Cadiz and Almeria, which could go a long way to determining how their season will shape up, with matches against the teams around them in the table likely to be vital.
The Deep Blue Ones have not beaten Elche in La Liga since January 2021, though, and they lost both league games between the two sides last term, including a 3-1 defeat in the corresponding fixture back in May.
Team News
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Elche will again be without the services of Federico Fernandez, Javier Pastore and Fidel for Monday's contest, but the hosts are hopeful that Helibelton Palacios will overcome a hamstring problem in time.
There are unlikely to be many changes from the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Espanyol last time out, with Pere Milla again joining Lucas Boye in the final third of the field.
Raul Guti, Omar Mascarell and Alex Collado are set to feature as the midfield three, while it seems likely that Almiron will again select three central defenders for this contest.
As for Getafe, Fabricio Angileri is expected to be cleared to play following a concussion, but Munir El Haddadi and Mauro Arambarri are out with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.
Head coach Flores will be able to recall Carles Alena, though, with the midfielder serving a suspension in the draw with Celta last time out.
Borja Mayoral and Enes Unal are again set to feature as the front two for the visitors, while Angel Algobia is likely to be the player to miss out in midfield in order to allow Alena to start.
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Bigas, Roco, Verdu; Palacios, Guti, Mascarell, Collado, Clerc; Milla, Boye
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Mitrovic, Duarte, Dakonam; Iglesias, Maksimovic, Milla, Alena, Angileri; Unal, Mayoral
We say: Elche 1-1 Getafe
These two sides have been drawing plenty of matches in recent weeks, and we are finding it really difficult to separate them here. Elche won both games between the two teams last term, but the home side are yet to triumph this term, and we can see a low-scoring draw on Monday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
