Getafe will be looking to pick up their first three points in La Liga since the middle of October when they travel to a struggling Levante side on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors have dropped down to 11th spot in the table courtesy of a five-game winless run, while Levante are without a victory in their last eight and currently occupy 19th position.
Match preview
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Levante have incredibly played out 1-1 draws in each of their last five La Liga matches but even the impressive unbeaten run has not moved them out of the relegation zone.
Indeed, Paco Lopez's side have only picked up eight points from their 10 league games this term to sit 19th, having recorded just one victory during the 2020-21 campaign.
The Frogs finished 12th in Spain's top flight last term, but the early indications are that it could be a tough campaign for the club, who have not been victorious in the league since the end of September.
The fact that Levante have not lost since the middle of October is certainly a positive but their struggles when it comes to winning will certainly concern the club's fans at this stage of the season.
The Valencia-based outfit recorded a 1-0 victory in the corresponding game during the 2019-20 campaign, while they have lost just once to Getafe in Spain's top flight since September 2015.
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Getafe have finished eighth, fifth and eighth in their last three campaigns at this level and will have started the season with ambitions of claiming a Europa League spot.
Consistency has been a problem in the early stages of 2020-21, though, and Jose Bordalas's side are currently on a five-game winless run, having not triumphed since overcoming Barcelona on October 17.
The capital club suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Villarreal on November 8 before picking up a point at Eibar, while they will enter the match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao last time out.
A record of three wins, four draws and three defeats has left Getafe in 11th position in the table, but they are only four points off fourth-placed Real Madrid and will certainly be eyeing all three points on Saturday.
Levante La Liga form: LDDDDD
Getafe La Liga form: WLDLDD
Team News
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Levante will again be without the services of Aitor Fernandez and Enis Bardhi through injury, but the home side are otherwise in good shape heading into Saturday's contest.
There is every chance that Lopez could decide to select the same XI that started against Real Valladolid, with Jose Luis Morales again joined by Roger Marti in the final third of the field.
There are plenty of options for change, though, with Dani Gomez and Sergio Leon pushing for starts, while Coke is also pushing for a spot in the starting side.
As for Getafe, key midfielder Nemanja Maksimovic remains unavailable for selection through injury, while Damian Suarez picked up a hamstring issue against Athletic last weekend and will miss out.
Allan Nyom is expected to return to the XI as Suarez's replacement, but Bordalas could otherwise stick with the same side that took to the field in the 1-1 draw.
Angel is likely to join Jaime Mata as part of a front two, meaning that Cucho Hernandez could continue in a wide area, leaving Enes Unal on the bench once again.
Levante possible starting lineup:
Cardenas; Son, Vezo, Postigo, Clerc; Rochina, Campana, Malsa, Melero; Marti, Morales
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Nyom, Dakonam, Chema, Olivera; Hernandez, Timor, Arambarri, Cucurella; Mata, Angel
We say: Levante 1-2 Getafe
Getafe are certainly due a positive result, and we fancy the visitors to triumph on Saturday afternoon by the narrowest of margins. Levante have proved difficult to beat in recent weeks and have put in some encouraging displays, but Lopez's side are finding it difficult to pick up wins.
Top betting 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 39.4%. A win for Levante had a probability of 32.3% and a draw had a probability of 28.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Getafe win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.27%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.06%) and 0-2 (7.49%). The likeliest Levante win was 1-0 (10.82%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.21%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 2.1% likelihood.
