Year of the underdog: Could Getafe strike gold in La Liga?
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Getafe could be on theverge of scoring Champions League football for the first time in their history.
The Madrid based club were playing second division footballonly two seasons ago, but now they stand on the cusp of an extraordinary feat.
A 96th minute equaliser from skipper Jorge Molina againstReal Valladolid on Sunday has kept the dream alive.
It’s a story we just couldn’t ignore, so we explored justhow they’ve done it.
The gaffer
After guiding Deportivo Alaves back into the top flight in 2016, Jorge Bordelas wasn’t yet ready to be a La Liga coach according to his former club.
But after taking over at Getafe in theSegunda Division later that year, he’s led his charges to a promotion and aremarkable eighth place finish in 2017-18.
His side have just lost eight games this season, taking the scalps of Sevilla and Valencia along the way.
Bordelas has proven he can do specialthings on a shoe-string budget. A Champions League berth would give him theultimate reward for his work.
We go 10/3 for Getafe to crown their second-season back in La Liga with atop-four spot.
Main Man
Jaime Mata has been plying his trade in Spain’s lower tiers for much of his career. But after smashing 36 goals in his second season at Real Valladolid, his chance at the big time finally came.
He signed for Getafe in July 2018, with the club having lostEmiliano Buendia to Norwich City in the summer.
Mata has been a revelation for Azulonesnotching 13 goals and adding four assists which has his new side right in the mix for a Champions League place.
The 30-year-old’s form this season was capped off with hisfirst Spanish national team call up for the games against Norway and Malta inMarch.
If Mata can replicate this in the final four games of theleague season, then a place at Europe’s top table could be more than a pipedream.
The run in
After Molina’s last gasp equaliser, Getafe have only lostonce in their last ten matches.
This remarkable consistency has meant they are in with aright shout of playing Champions League football next season.
If their top-ten finish came as a surprise last campaign, this year has seen them grow even more and sit just a point off a top-four place.
But, the La Liga gods haven’t given them an easy task. Firstup its fourth versus fifth as Sevilla come to town.
