La Liga Monday Previews: January 3rd, 2011

Getafe vs Real Madrid

Getafe have an interesting reputation against Real Madrid—they have managed to cause problems for the Spanish giants on several occasions—although, let’s face it, a win for the home boys would still be somewhat of a shock despite their decent record against Real.

On the bright side for Getafe, they have had a pretty good end to the season so they do have their good run of form to look back at to help build some confidence before they go up against their local rivals. A draw, on the other hand, could be on the cards if Getafe get off to a good start to the match.

Real Madrid themselves can’t afford another slip up against Getafe, they need to get every single point that they can since dropping behind Barcelona in the title race. Since their 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona they have won their last five matches in a row, however, that isn’t at all that surprising. This match should be Real’s for the taking, however Getafe have had a habit of throwing a spanner in the works.

Villarreal vs Almeria

Villarreal have managed to get themselves into third place after a very impressive finish to 2010 and they’ll be hoping that the can keep their momentum going after the New Year.

This match shouldn’t be too much trouble for the home side seeing as they have polished off much stiffer competition with ease this season. Oddly enough, Almeria have been playing better away than they have at home, but with no wins at all at their home ground this season that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The home side will be expecting some problems, they will be without striker Nilmar and midfielder Senna which could leave them a little bit lacking going forward. Almeria don’t have the best defensive record by any means so that may not be too much of an issue. Whilst a win for the home side may seem like the obvious result things aren’t always black and white in these sorts of matches

It would seem that the worst that can be expected from Villarreal in a home match against a team of this calibre should be a draw. Still, Almeria will be looking to pick up some more away points seeing as their away results may just be what saves them from the drop this season.

Joe - livescoredaily.com - live scores