Old friends become new foes

LaLiga Santander

Matchday 26

Estadio José Zorrilla, Valladolid, Spain

Saturday March 6th, 2021

Real Valladolid (17th, 22pts) vs Getafe (14th, 27pts)

Real Valladolid face some familiar faces as they entertain a Getafe side who have failed to live up to expectations this season. Strikers Jaime Mata and Enes Ünal are former Pucela frontmen, but both have struggled in front of goal during this campaign.

Mata, the top scorer in the Segunda División in season 2017/18 when Real Valladolid claimed promotion, hit 41 goals in 76 appearances for the Blanquivioletas. Having made 104 appearances for José Bordalas’ side since joining in the summer of 2018, the former Real Valladolid favourite has found the net 34 times, but this campaign has yielded limited success with Mata scoring just four goals 23 overall appearances. Worse still, Ünal – who netted 14 goals in 71 outings for Real Valladolid during two loan spells – is yet to make an impression on the scoreboard in the blue of Getafe and has seen limited playing time, earning only 5 starts and 17 total appearances.

Getafe were a club on an upward trend over the last handful of seasons. After spending 12 seasons in Primera, they were relegated at the end of the 2015-16 season, but bounced back immediately the next year, finishing third in Segunda and beating Huesca and Tenerife in the playoffs to regain Primera status. Bordalas guided the side to their highest ever finish in 2018/19, with their fifth-place achievement earning them European football for the following season. Last season saw a slight drop off in form, and they fell to eighth in the final standings, missing out on Europa League qualifying to Granada by just two points.

However, this season has seen further decline. The team currently sit in 14th, largely in part due to their away form which has been nothing short of miserable. With only two wins to show for their travels, they have the second worst away record in the league. This is something that will normally count in Real Valladolid’s favour in this afternoon’s meeting, but Pucela have also just two wins at home this year.

In head-to-head standings, the split is even; seven wins and seven losses each, with eight draws contested. Results at the José Zorrilla reflect more favourably upon Sergio’s side, winning four and drawing five of ten matches with one loss which came all the way back in the 1979/80 season in Segunda.