Football Bet of the Day: Hosts can win survival showdown

Getafe v Valencia
Monday 20 February, 20:00
Live on LaLigaTV

Our pal Tobias finished his mammoth two-week stint with a fine winner in Spain yesterday, as Sevilla played out a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano and landed his BTTS bet. Sangria in hand, he heads off into the sunset, while we make the short trip to Madrid. Getafe are up against Valencia in a classic relegation scrap, and there's little to recommend the visitors.

Valencia have been in freefall for some time, with the disinterested ownership of Peter Lim leaving the club directionless. A series of coaches have come and gone, key players have left and the fans' fury has been ignored. Let us not forget that this is a club that won La Liga twice under Rafa Benitez, and that also captured the old UEFA Cup in his era. Now the man at the helm is one of the heroes of that era, Ruben Baraja, who has taken over from perennial caretaker Voro.

Baraja must somehow lift the club he represented with distinction, but his coaching career hasn't matched his time as a player in terms of success. He has been out of coaching since a disappointing stint at Real Zaragoza in 2020, and he had uninspiring spells at Rayo Vallecano, Sporting Gijon and Tenerife. He inherits a side that has lost five straight games in league and cup.

Getafe are a point and a place below Valencia in the standings (both are in the dropzone), but they have recently drawn with Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, and they have lost just two of their last six home games. Quique Sanchez Flores successfully battled the drop last season, and unlike Valencia, this is a group that knows its way around a survival scrap.

Valencia have lost their last four on the road, and their last away win at this level was at Osasuna in early October. Los Che have won just three of their last 20 away games in La Liga.

You could back the hosts Draw No Bet at 2.021/1 here, but I'm going to use the Sportsbook's Bet Builder, because I want the draw to pay out as well as the home win. I'll also back Over 1.5 Home Cards (Getafe are in La Liga's top three for yellow cards this season) and Turkish forward Enes Unal to have at least two shots. He averages 2.37 shots per 90, and should be full of confidence after scoring in his last two games. That comes out at 1.910/11.