La Liga Preview: Getafe - Real Madrid

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After returning from their long, gruelling but successful journey to Belarus, Real Madrid will make the short trip south of the capital to take on friendly neighbours Getafe as they look to build on their recent resurgence.

Scalping For Another Scalp

Modest Getafe pulled off one of the surprise results of Round 12 when they held in-form Barcelona to a 1-1 stalemate at the Camp Nou, a match where they so easily could have won having led the game for over 50 minutes.

The draw not only halted Barça’s impressive nine-game winning run in La Liga, but it also put an end to their own miserable three match losing streak where they failed to score a single goal during that period.  

Despite that commendable result in Catalunya, Victor Muñoz’s side still have a little issue to overcome: they have now gone an entire month without a victory to show. Their last triumph was a 1-0 win over Real Valladolid back in October 26 and their continuous wretched form has seen them tumble all the way down to 14^th in the standings and they are inching closer and closer to the drop zone by the week.

Although they still have a healthy-looking five point buffer to the bottom three, an immediate turnaround is required if they are to avoid being swallowed into dangerous territory before the midway point of the campaign. A clash against a resurgent Real Madrid may not be the best way to start, but they could use the extra motivation to their advantage.

Meetings between these two capital neighbours rarely produce the kind of tempestuous fireworks seen in other derbies in Spain, but that does not mean El Geta will not be inspired to take down their illustrious big brothers, just a week after doing them a favour. And after coming so close to taking Barcelona’s scalp, Los Azulones will be presented with an instant opportunity to claim just as massive a prize, if not bigger.

Mission Accomplished

A simple 1-0 win at home against Recreativo Huelva last Saturday may not have convinced many critics that Real Madrid are out of their crisis, but it was enough for them to take full advantage of every single one of their direct rivals slipping up on the same weekend.

With Villarreal losing and Valencia, Sevilla, Barcelona only managing draws, victory propelled Los Merengues from fourth spot straight up to the more familiar surroundings of second place in the Primera División standings, just three points behind arch nemesis, Barça.

It also left the squad at ease to carry out their mission in Minsk three days later, which was to beat BATE Borisov and seal their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League before the final group game. They accomplished their objective through typical grit and determination, battling through adversity like the soldiers they have become to grind out a second consecutive 1-0 win with a solid all-round performance.

Self-belief and morale is slowly returning to the team, but now they have the equally daunting task of maintaining that upward momentum to ensure they do not relapse into their crisis. However, squad depth continues to be an issue for coach, Bernd Schuster.

As the injuries keep piling up, the German-born trainer is forced to call upon the same players game after game and his troops’ physical and mental fitness are starting to take a big hit. It doesn’t help that the season is now entering the pivotal halfway stage and more crucially, the most difficult – and much dreaded – sequence of fixtures of the entire campaign has arrived.

Next weekend, they will welcome Sevilla to the Bernabéu and after flexing their muscles against Zenit St. Petersburg in the final Champions League group match – which they still need to win to keep any hopes alive of topping their group – they will travel to the Camp Nou for another show-stopping edition of El Clásico against Barcelona.

Madrid will wrap up 2008 by taking on another old foe, Valencia four days before Christmas, and three days into the New Year, they will entertain the side they pipped to to win the La Liga crown last term, Villarreal.

FORM GUIDE

Getafe

Nov 23 Barcelona 1-1 Getafe (LA LIGA)

Nov 16 Getafe 0-2 Sevilla (LA LIGA)

Nov 13 Osasuna 1-0 Getafe (COPA DEL REY)

Nov 09 Getafe 0-3 Valencia (LA LIGA)

Nov 02 Recreativo 1-1 Getafe (LA LIGA)

Real Madrid

Nov 25 BATE Borisov 0-1 Real Madrid (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

Nov 22 Real Madrid 1-0 Recreativo Huelva (LA LIGA)

Nov 15 Real Valladolid 1-0 Real Madrid (LA LIGA)

Nov 11 Real Madrid 4-3 Real Unión (COPA DEL REY)

Nov 08 Real Madrid 4-3 Málaga (LA LIGA)

TEAM NEWS

Getafe

Ecuadorian midfielder Jofre Guerrón will be ruled out of this match due to an inflamed tendon in his right knee. Striker Manu del Moral, meanwhile, is highly doubtful after he pulled a muscle in his right thigh in Friday’s training session and he will now have to wait for a late fitness test to determine his condition.

Defender David Belenguer could make his return from injury after training normally with the rest of the team throughout the week, although coach, Victor Muñoz has hinted that he will stick to the same first XI who performed so admirably last week against Barcelona.

Back-up goalkeeper, Oscar Ustari and fullback Franck Signorino remain the only two long term injury casualties.

Probable Starting XI (4-4-2): Abbondanzieri (c) – Contra, Cata Díaz, Mario, Licht – Granero, Polanski, Casquero, Gavilán – Manu/Soldado, Albín

Real Madrid

Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze will be sidelined for up to three weeks after sustaining a severe knock in his calf in midweek against BATE. Centre-back Fabio Cannavaro is expected to be omitted for the trip to Getafe as he continues to nurse a muscle strain, despite returning to training and showing signs of recovery throughout the week.

Arjen Robben has also resumed normal workout with the squad following a six week lay-off but Schuster has confirmed that the Dutch winger is still nowhere near match fit and he will not be rushed back into action.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahamadou Diarrá, Gonzalo Higuaín and Rubén de la Red are the other confirmed absentees due to various ailments.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Casillas – Torres, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo – Sneijder, Gago, Guti – Saviola, Raúl (c), Drenthe

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Getafe

Esteban Granero has been Getafe’s best attacking performer throughout his side’s lean spell. The hardworking midfielder is a constant source of creativity and offensive inspiration in a team that rely on disciplined defending and a conservative mindset. He will be eager to put on another glittering display against his former club in an attempt to improve his chances of making a return to the Bernabéu in the near future.

Real Madrid

Madrid have successfully kept back-to-back clean sheets in the two games where Sergio Ramos was employed as a centreback. It may just be a coincidence but there’s no denying that with the 22-year-old right in the heart of defence, Los Blancos’ rearguard displays and the player’s own performances have improved significantly. He remains a menacing aerial threat from set-pieces at the other end of the pitch and as his self-confidence returns, the Sevillano could finally be back to his very best.

PREDICTION

Despite the prominent disparity in size and stature between these two clubs, past encounters have been extremely tight. Neither side have managed to score more than a goal against each other in the last six meetings and with Getafe getting more and more accomplished at defending against the league’s big guns, this will likely be another close-fought battle.

Getafe 0-1 Real Madrid

KS Leong

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