Getafe vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions

• Getafe have lost only one of their last five home league matches
• Athletic Bilbao have failed to win six of their last seven away La Liga contests
• Athletic Bilbao look set to be without two key midfielders through injury

Getafe are good value to make their point

Getafe could prove tough opponents for a Champions-League chasing Athletic Bilbao side at Estadio Coliseum on Friday night.

Jose Bordelas’ mid-table team may have nothing to play for, but their ability to frustrate their rivals and hit on the counter-attack could be the undoing of their Basque visitors. When the sides drew 2-2 at the San Mames earlier this season, Getafe had 17 shots, compared to Athletic Bilbao’s nine.

Azulones also denied Real Sociedad, a side with a much better recent away record than Athletic Club, all three points in a recent 1-1 draw in the Madrid suburbs.

Azulones adjusting to life without top scorer

The loss of injured top scorer Borja Mayoral for the rest of the season knocked Getafe back a bit in recent weeks with Bordelas’ side scoring only twice in the first five games of the striker’s absence. But their defence tightened up, allowing only three goals to be scored during that span, while Saturday’s 3-1 win at Almeria suggests the team are adjusting to cope without the 15-goal forward.

Ernesto Valverde’s side come into this fixture without a win in their last four La Liga matches. They were well beaten by Atletico Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano last Saturday and have now won only two of their last ten away league games.

The likely absences of injured midfielders Oihan Sancet and Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta could leave them short on control in the middle of the park and make them vulnerable to a potential shock. Therefore the best bet here could be to back the hosts to continue a recent run of avoiding defeat at the Coliseum.