Group C of the Europa League is still very much in the balance in terms of who qualifies for the knockout stages of the competition. The top two teams in the group Basel and Getafe meet on Thursday evening.
The Swiss side are top of the group but are only a point ahead of their Spanish opponents. Third-place FK Krasnodar are also three points behind second-place Getafe.
The Russian team and bottom of the table Trabzonspor meet in the other game of the group.
However, the game in Switzerland looks to be a pivotal one in deciding who wins the group and qualifies for the knockout stages. Basel recorded a 1-0 win in Spain in the reverse fixture, which made the home side unbeaten in the group stages this season.
They also have a good recent record in the Europa League in recent seasons, winning five of their last seven matches in the competition, while losing once in the process.
Basel’s home form in this competition has been good, as they are unbeaten in six home matches, including winning the last three home outings. They have also kept clean sheets in three of their last four home games in the Europa League.
Getafe are enjoying a solid season all around this season. The team from the Spanish capital are currently just outside the European spots in La Liga, having also won two of their last three games in the Europa League, with that aforementioned home defeat by Basel the only blip.
The visitors recent away record in Europe’s secondary competition has been poor of late, as one away win in six games illustrates. Their recent away games in the competition have been tight, though, with five of their last six European games producing under 2.5 goals.
¡Buenos días azulones! ☀El equipo prepara hoy a puerta cerrada el encuentro del próximo jueves frente al @FCBasel1893 💪#VamosGeta pic.twitter.com/e9dibWlbzx— Getafe C.F. (@GetafeCF) November 5, 2019
¡Buenos días azulones! ☀El equipo prepara hoy a puerta cerrada el encuentro del próximo jueves frente al @FCBasel1893 💪#VamosGeta pic.twitter.com/e9dibWlbzx
Forebet predicts that Basel will record a low-scoring victory to put one foot into the last 32 of the competition.