FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, RCD Espanyol, UD Las Palmas, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad have something in common, which is that they haven’t been able to defeat Getafe CF or CD Leganés, the two clubs from the neighbouring cities in southern Madrid, in their matches so far in 2025. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
Los Azulones and Los Pepineros have faced each other in all divisions over the years, but now when they meet in ELDERBI HISTORICO it’s in LALIGA EA SPORTS. Both clubs are fighting to stay in the top tier, and have been doing well in recent weeks by causing headaches for the giants of Spanish football.
José Bordalás has made Getafe CF so hard to beat
In the case of José Bordalás’ team, they’ve taken seven points out of a possible nine across their first three league fixtures of the new year, meaning they’ve been one of the best teams in the month of January. They play so well in defence while they are also aggressive in their pressing to win the ball in dangerous positions from which they can launch counter-attacks. Last week, they frustrated Hansi Flick’s FC Barcelona, drawing 1-1 with the Catalan side.
Then, in the most recent matchday, they produced an incredible 3-0 win away at Real Sociedad, with Bordalás’ men showing that they meant business from the first minute to the last. They were better at all levels and areas of the pitch. As things stand, Getafe CF boast the joint-second-best defensive record in the competition, level with Real Sociedad on 17 goals conceded. Only Atlético de Madrid, with 14 goals let in, have a superior record. Moreover, David Soria is a leader in the Zamora Trophy race, with his record of 0.81 goals conceded per game.
It’s not just about the goalkeeping, though, as the defensive line is performing well, with Juan Iglesias and Diego Rico at full-back, with Omar Alderete and Domingos Duarte at centre-back and with Djene Dakonam roaming as a defensive midfielder. It’s so hard for opponents to create chances against this team.
All of these players are strong in 50-50 challenges, usually winning them, while they are well-positioned too. They benefit from the help of the forwards too, with Alex Sola and Coba da Costa dropping back from their positions on the wing against La Real, before Carles Pérez did the same when he came on. The latter also scored twice in the game, his first two goals of the campaign.
The emergence of Coba in recent weeks and of Christantus Uche throughout the season has helped Getafe CF a lot in attack, giving Borja Mayoral support in the opposition half. They are all combining to help the capital city club pick up points in their quest to stay in the division for yet another season.
Mayoral, along with Luis Milla and Mauro Arambarri, are the leaders of the team, for their character, experience and quality. The two midfielders are tasked with anchoring and driving the team from the centre, and are excelling.
Borja Jiménez brings back the defensive solidity that led CD Leganés to LALIGA EA SPORTS
As is the case with Getafe CF, CD Leganés are also a team built in their coach’s image. The players follow the lead of Borja Jiménez, who has made Los Pepineros a strong defensive team once again, as they were when they won the LALIGA HYPERMOTION championship last season on their way to LALIGA EA SPORTS promotion.
While they defend a little closer to their own area than Getafe CF, allowing the opposition a few more metres, Lega are so difficult to get through in the final quarter of the pitch. Any spaces are quickly closed down and opposition players don’t just enter the penalty area easily. Rivals are often limited to shots from distance or to crosses into the box, which are usually cleared away by Sergio González and Matija Nastasić.
They managed to keep clean sheets in their recent games against Atlético de Madrid, Athletic Club and FC Barcelona, thanks to their solid and well-organised defensive play. And, Los Blanquiazules know that if they don’t concede then they’ll always have a chance of their own to possibly win the game, as they did in their respective 1-0 wins against Atleti and Barça.
This past weekend, they visited San Mamés to take on Athletic Club and also had chances to even turn that 0-0 result into a win, but a great performance from opposition goalkeeper Unai Simón ensured it finished goalless. Nevertheless, it was another clean sheet for the capital city side, who have a defensive record which is improving as the season has gone on, and their return of 29 goals conceded is now the 10th-best in the competition, the same as Girona FC’s.
Interestingly, many of the goals CD Leganés have conceded this season came in a 5-2 loss against Villarreal CF, in which they finished with nine men. They also had a game against Girona FC in which they lost 4-3, but those are the only two fixtures in which they’ve conceded more than three this season. And, looking just at the past three matchdays, they’ve let in only one goal.
There are several reasons why CD Leganés have become a pain to play for their rivals in LALIGA EA SPORTS, such as Marko Dmitrović’s performances in goal, the solid defensive play of the team, the midfield unit of Renato Tapia, Seydouba Cissé and Yvan Neyou or the quality of Juan Cruz and Dani Raba. Both of the teams from southern Madrid have really stepped up as the season has gone on, and any opponent playing them soon should know that it’s hard to score and, therefore, to win against them.
