La Liga Preview: Getafe’s Two Key Players Injured, Rayo Vallecano Ends Winless Away Streak

On August 25 at 3:30 AM, the second round of La Liga will see Getafe host Rayo Vallecano at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.

The two teams adopted different transfer strategies during the summer window. Getafe sold key players like Enes Ünal and Gastón Álvarez, bringing in over 30 million euros, then spent a total of 9.2 million euros to acquire some capable players or new talents from the benches of Segunda División, Segunda Federación, and Real Sociedad. During the early preseason matches, Getafe lost three out of four games, indicating significant integration issues. However, they subsequently won against Saint-Étienne and drew with Southampton in friendly matches, and managed to draw with strong rivals Athletic Bilbao in the first round of the league, showing a continuous improvement in form.

In contrast, Rayo Vallecano focused on stability during the summer window, only profiting 2 million euros from transfers, with several players leaving upon contract expiration. Their acquisitions were mainly free transfers and loans, maintaining a very low expenditure and thus keeping the core team structure stable. In preseason matches, Rayo Vallecano faced mostly Premier League teams and those participating in European playoff qualifiers. Although they won few and lost more, this was due to the strength of their opponents rather than poor form. In the first round of the league, they defeated strong rivals Real Sociedad 2-1 away, earning widespread praise. It’s worth noting that before this match, they had not won any of their previous 11 away competitive matches (excluding friendlies), making the three points from the first round of La Liga particularly valuable.

Regarding head-to-head records, Getafe has not won in the last seven encounters (league and preseason) with Rayo Vallecano, although they have only lost twice, drawing five times. Notably, Getafe’s coach Bordalás has faced Rayo Vallecano 11 times with three different teams (Elche, Valencia, and Getafe) in his career, achieving 5 wins, 5 draws, and 1 loss, demonstrating a clear advantage and familiarity with this opponent.

In terms of squad availability, Rayo Vallecano’s lineup is relatively complete. Getafe’s forward Borja Mayoral and midfielder Arambarri have been troubled by injuries, but pre-match information shows that both have returned to training, though their fitness for the game still needs to be assessed.

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