Getafe vs Real Betis preview - Betis look for boost

Posted Saturday, October 05, 2013 by PA

Real Betis will hope to put European disappointment behind them when they return to Primera Division action against Getafe on Sunday.

After a goalless draw with Lyon in the first round of Europa League fixtures, Betis had hoped to post their first win when they visited Croatian side HNK Rijeka on Thursday night.

They had to be satisfied with a 1-1 draw, though, Cedric cancelling out Leon Benko's opener to at least keep the Spanish side unbeaten.

Next up for Betis is two games against Vitoria Guimaraes, with the home match first in three weeks' time.

Betis manager Pepe Mel told a press conference: "We expected more because we wanted to win. The next two games will mark the group. If we can get four of those six points, we will be on track. "

In the league, Betis have won two of their seven games, the most recent coming last weekend against high-flying Villarreal.

That left Mel's men in 11th place ahead of the weekend's games, two points behind Sunday's opponents Getafe.

Striker Ruben Castro is not expected to recover from a troublesome back injury, and Mel said: "He's our best goalscorer and a very important loss."

The home side will take confidence into the clash at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez after back-to-back wins over Celta Vigo and Espanyol, scoring four goals and conceding none.

Getafe also have a new striker in Ciprian Marica, who replaces Miku following his move this week to Qatari club Al Gharafa.

At the presentation for Marica, meanwhile, president Angel Torres Sanchez revealed plans to build Getafe a new stadium with a capacity of 32,000.