Saturday Football Tips: Derby chaos on the cards

Rayo Vallecano v Getafe
Saturday 18 September, 13:00
Live on LaLigaTV

The south Madrid derby takes place on Saturday and it could well be card chaos.

Getafe finished bottom of last season's fair-play table, while no side in the second flight picked up more yellow cards than Vallecano.

Following the latter's promotion, it's a fixture back on the list for the first time since 2019 and will also have a feisty atmosphere with fans back in the stadium.

The last time these sides met at the Campo de Fubol de Vallecas there were eight yellows and a red shown, a tally which continued a strong theme in this fixture.

Across the past decade, these two have met 16 times and in nine of those matches, at least eight cards have been shown. Over 7.5 here is a 16/5 chance.

However, with referee Adrian Cordero Vega a fraction below the league average for cards last season, preference is to side with two players who regularly find their way into the notebook.

For the hosts, attacking midfielder Oscar Trejo has been carded in 18 of his last 32 games for Vallecano. He was also sent off in that previous home game against Getafe.

For the visitors, Damian Suarez is the obvious choice. The Uruguayan right-back was carded 13 times in 31 La Liga games last season. This time around, he's also been booked twice in three starts.

The narky Suarez also has quite a record in this derby - six cards in 10 appearances.

If things do get tasty, it's easy to see this pair leading the charge and so a two-legged Bet Builder at around 5/1 looks worth taking on.

Click here for Dan Fitch's weekend La Liga preview and tips