Valencia-Getafe: Jose Bordalas returns to Mestalla for a direct duel in the race for a European place

Getafe coach Jose Bordalas returns to Mestalla for the first time since his departure from Valencia, which he coached in the 2021/22 season. VAlencia are ninth on 37 points, while Getafe is 11th on 35 points, making this a key match in the race for a European ticket. The match will also give another meeting with the former club of the players: Nemanja Maksimovic, Omar Alderete, Ilaix Moriba and Yellu for Getafe, and Hugo Duro and Dimitri Foulquier for Valencia.

The games between Valencia and Getafe have been particularly vibrant in recent years. There have been many high-voltage matches between these two teams who have competed for similar goals in recent seasons, and the intensity of these matches has given birth to a unique rivalry.

Ahead of this weekend's clash, Jose Bordalas will undoubtedly be in the center. Born in Alicante, the province next to Valencia, the coach who just turned 60 has become one of the most important figures in Spanish football. After spending most of his managerial career in the dugouts of more modest clubs, he achieved his first promotion to La Liga with Deportivo Alaves in 2016, although he was not retained for that project for the following season . But, after receiving the call from Getafe, who had just dropped to the second level and were struggling, the rest is history.

During his first step as coach of Getafe, from 2016 to 2021, he made a huge impact on the fortunes of the team. It was during this period that the curious rivalry with Valencia began, as their Getafe team became very difficult to beat.

The coach led Getafe to promotion, qualification for the UEFA Europa League and a round of 32 victory over Ajax. With all that on his CV, Bordalas decided to move on and signed for Valencia in 2021. In just one season, he led the team to the final of the Copa del Rey and they put together a solid league campaign, but left at the end of this season.

In April 2023, with Getafe immersed in an agonizing relegation battle, in which Valencia was also involved, the Madrid club dispensed with the services of Quique Sanchez Flores so that Bordalas could return. With only a few weeks to work his magic, he was able to achieve an impressive recovery, and The Azulone has renewed his contract until 2025.

This Sunday, he finally returns to Mestalla, and both teams are in different situations compared to the last term. With 35 points, Getafe is 11th in the standings and only two points behind the ninth, Valencia. Both clubs, therefore, are still pushing for seventh place, aware that they will gain access to the UEFA Conference League if Athletic Club wins the Copa del Rey and also qualify for Europe through their own league position.

Valencia will be without Mouctar Diakhaby, after the serious injury the defender suffered last weekend in the match against Real Madrid, while Getafe will be without two of their best attackers, as Borja Mayoral is injured and Mason Greenwood is suspended, while Mauro Arambarri also remains on to the injury report.

In the first match of the season, Getafe won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Borja Mayoral in the 87th minute. It was a very close and competitive game in which there were three red cards, a demonstration of the intensity with which games are played every time these teams meet.

Interestingly, there are many players who have crossed this division over the years and will face their former colleagues this weekend. Hugo Duro, the Valencia striker who has 11 goals this season, will face his hometown club, where he played his first games in La Liga. Valencia's Dimitri Foulquier will also see this match as a special one, as he was part of Getafe's squad during the 2018/19 season.

On the side of Getafe, there are also many players with a Valencian history. Nemanja Maksimovic swapped Mestalla for the Coliseum in 2018, and has become a key man at the club since then. Omar Alderete, who played a season at Valencia, could also see, as well as winter arrivals and former Valencia players Yellu Santiago and Ilaix Moriba.

It promises to be a great game at Mestalla, with gathering and intensity in what will be a key encounter in terms of the chances of these clubs to squeeze into Europe for next season.

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