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European Football
Preview - 30 Sep 2007
Getafe can expose Madrid
shortcomings.
Back Getafe to put one over ex-coach Bernd Schuster at the
Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.
On the surface, this might looks like a relatively easy
engagement for Schuster given his old side's poor start to the
season, but dig a little deeper and there are a host of reasons why
the league leaders should be opposed tonight.
Real dropped their first points of the season at Valladolid last
week, with Javier Saviola netting a barely-deserved last-gasp
equaliser. They got back to winning ways against Real Betis in
midweek, but it was a second patchy home performance in succession,
after the fortuitous victory against Almeira.
One of the weak-spots against Betis was the full-back positions,
with the visiting wingers causing Miguel Torres and Gabriel Heinze
all sorts of problems. Sergio Ramos has been a tower of strength in
the Madrid defence for a long time now, but his best position is on
the right. Alongside the once-great Fabio Cannavaro he just looks
lost. With Metzelder and Pepe unavailable, that's where he will have
to deputise once more. The high-profile duo cannot afford to keep
gifting the opposition so many clear-cut opportunites.
Schuster also has problems in midfield, with the influential
Wesley Sneijder and Guti suffering from influenza. With talk of
Mahamadou Diarra being rested, we could see a severely
under-strength midfield in operation. An area which has looked
decidedly devoid of inspiration ever since the 5-0 mauling of
Villarreal. Sneijder in particular would be a huge loss, given the
abject performance against Valladolid in his absence. Schuster has
some tough decisions to make ahead of the Champions League trip to
Rome.
And just to compound the German coach's injury misery, the
prolific Ruud Van Nistelrooy has once again been ruled out with a
calf problem. With Higuain left out of the squad, the goalscoring
responsibility will rest on the shoulders of Javier Saviola and
Raul. Two players who have not exactly lived up to their star
billing in recent seasons.
As for struggling Getafe, it's fair to assume that they're
nowhere near as bad as the league table might suggest. A date with
their big city neighbours is the perfect opportunity for Michael
Laudrup's side to kick-start their season. Performances have
generally been good, but a lack of a cutting edge has been their
achilles heel. One man who will relish the chance to change that is
Nigerian striker Ikechukwu Uche. The ex-Recreativo man shocked the
Bernabeu faithful last season with two goals as Recreativo ran out
3-0 winners in the capital. Laudrup can at least take comfort in the
fact that his side have been creating chances, as Valencia will
testify to having been given a few scares by Uche and co. midweek.
It was never going to be easy for Laudrup coming in and stamping his
own authority on the side, after the successful Schuster-era, but
the early signs suggest that his methods, while different to his
predecessor's more compact-style, will eventually breed results.
Unless Madrid can find the level of performance reached against
Villarreal and Atletico early in the season, a first defeat is just
around the corner. Getafe gained a well-deserved point in this
fixture last season, and can go one better here.
Getafe vs Real Madrid. Sunday 18:00
Recommendation: 2pts GETAFE
Draw No bet @ 11/4. Bet 365.
Ilunga
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