Getafe will welcome Mallorca to Madrid on Saturday for a crucial game at the bottom end of the La Liga table.

In the midst of a six-game losing run, the visitors have dropped into the relegation zone, while their hosts only sit three points better off having also failed to win any of their last six outings.

Match preview

After a poor start to the season, Getafe sat in an unenviable position in La Liga without a victory from their opening 11 matches, but the Azulones were able to hugely improve their chances of survival in the following months.

Following the appointment of Quique Sanchez Flores in October, they were able to pick up six wins and 22 points from a 12-match span to climb out of the bottom three.

They have been unable to add to that since, though, suffering three defeats and picking up three draws from the last six games, although they did head into the international break with two commendable points.

Flores's men firstly held Valencia to a goalless stalemate, before they managed to leave Athletic Bilbao with a 1-1 draw thanks to Enes Unal's opener, despite being reduced to 10 men with 25 minutes to go.

Those draws have left the Azulones three points clear of the bottom three in 15th spot, but, as they meet the 18th-placed side, they will know they cannot afford to suffer a defeat that would see them dragged back within touching distance of the drop zone.

On the contrary to their opponents, Mallorca did not look overly threatened by the drop at the halfway stage of the campaign, boasting a commendable tally of 20 points from 17 games following their return to the top flight.

However, their position has taken a major turn for the worse in recent months, as Los Piratas firstly went on a four-game losing run before briefly arresting their slump with back-to-back wins over Cadiz and Athletic Bilbao in February.

That did not inspire the required turnaround, though, as they have since suffered six straight defeats in La Liga heading into the international break, only managing four goals and conceding 13 in that time.

The latest slump spelled the end for former manager Luis Garcia Plaza, who was dismissed during the break with the board turning to Javier Aguirre, who takes over with Los Piratas sat in the relegation zone.

They are by no means condemned to the drop yet, though, as Mallorca sit just a point adrift of safety and three points behind Saturday's opponents, meaning they could give their hopes a major boost with what would be a first league win since February at the weekend.

Team News

Getafe are without midfielder Jakub Jankto and key centre-back Jorge Cuenca, as both will serve suspensions after they were sent off against Athletic Bilbao.

Erick Cabaco may be brought into the back three in the absence of the latter, while Okay Yokuslu will look to break into the midfield unit alongside creative hub Carles Alena.

Talismanic forward Enes Unal will continue to be the key man in attack, having netted 14 of his side's 27 La Liga goals this term, including the opener last time out.

As Aguirre comes into the game looking to find the optimum setup for his new team, their defence has taken a hit, as left-back Jaume Costa and centre-back Antonio Raillo will both serve suspensions having each amassed five league yellow cards.

Brian Olivan should slot in on the left-hand side in Costa's absence, while Franco Russo could come into the centre alongside Martin Valjent.

Lazio loanee Vedat Muriqi started life in Mallorca in impressive fashion with two goals and an assist in his first three matches following a Janaury switch, but he will now aim to break a five-game drought.

Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Suarez, Djene, Mitrovic, Cabaco, Olivera; Yokuslu, Villar, Alena; Unal, Mayoral

Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rico; Gonzalez, Valjent, Russo, Olivan; Kubo, Sevilla, Sanchez, Lee; Muriqi, Nino

We say: Getafe 1-1 Mallorca

In a game of such high stakes, we predict a tight and cagey encounter and cannot quite pick a winner.

The visitors may be rejuvenated under their new manager, but the hosts will also be desperate to avoid defeat against a side who would move level on points with them with a victory, and we expect a share of the spoils as a result.

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