Getafe welcome Deportivo La Coruña to the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on 13 September 2026 for an early La Liga fixture the numbers already frame starkly: Deportivo sit sixth with eight points and eight goals from four matches, while Getafe are down in 15th with four points and just two goals across the same stretch. For José Bordalás, this is an opportunity to steady a side that has struggled to create anything meaningful in front of goal, while Antonio Hidalgo will want to keep the momentum from a run of two wins and two draws since Deportivo's return to the top flight.
There is no meaningful senior level head to head record between the two managers, with Bordalás having returned to Getafe on 29 April 2023, replacing Quique Sánchez Flores and Hidalgo appointed on 10 June 2025 after Óscar Gilsanz left Deportivo.
Getafe's last four league results read D-L-W-L: they drew 1-1 with Celta Vigo on 7 September, lost 0-1 to Osasuna on 31 August, beat Racing Santander 1-0 on 23 August and were beaten 3-0 by Deportivo Alavés on 15 August. Deportivo, meanwhile, have gone W-W-D-D in their opening four, beating Villarreal 3-2 on 5 September before drawing with Valencia, Málaga and Elche.
The injury situation at Getafe is the story of this match. Abdelkabir Abqar (muscle), Christantus Uche (cruciate), Juanmi (knee), Kiko Femenía (hamstring) and Mario Martín (knock) are all ruled out, Zaid Abner Romero is suspended and Francho Serrano is doubtful with a muscle problem. Losing Abqar, Uche, Femenía and Martín strips the backline of both experience and athleticism and Serrano's potential absence removes whatever midfield cover remains, leaving Bordalás with barely enough bodies to name a full matchday squad. Deportivo, by contrast, have just one confirmed absentee: Noé is out with an ankle and muscle complaint and Hidalgo's squad is otherwise intact.
Bordalás typically sets up in a 5-3-2 built around set piece organisation and counter attacks and Getafe will lean heavily on David Soria in goal and Enes Ünal up front, who has no one reliable alongside him. Without the width and creativity the missing players would have provided, Ünal may go long spells without a sight of goal.
Hidalgo runs a 4-4-2 that looks to transition quickly and score early. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has already contributed multiple goals this season and his movement will test a backline already missing Abqar, Uche, Femenía and Martín, with Luismi Cruz feeding him from midfield. If Deportivo score first, Bordalás may be forced into a more open game than he would like and with the defensive cover stripped away, the lack of midfield runners tracking back and Soria potentially facing multiple saves in quick succession, that is where Getafe are most exposed. Bordalás has little rotation available to cope once the press breaks down.
Getafe lead the historical head to head with six wins from roughly ten meetings, their most recent encounter ending 3-0 in Getafe's favour back in February 2018, though that result is eight years old and Deportivo have since dropped out of and returned from the second tier, which makes the record largely irrelevant to what happens on Sunday.
Ünal wins headers regularly in the box and, with Getafe's open play options so limited, dead balls are the likeliest route to a Getafe goal, though losing so many defenders does weaken their set piece organisation. Deportivo's goals have mostly come through open play transitions, so the aerial duel is a genuine battleground rather than a one sided threat.
Getafe 2-1 Deportivo La Coruña. Bordalás' 5-3-2 block tends to clog central lanes and force opponents wide, which should reduce the clearest opportunities Deportivo's forwards would otherwise create through the middle and Ünal's aerial presence means Getafe will threaten whenever they win a set piece. The difficulty is that Deportivo have scored eight goals in four matches through quick transitions and Aubameyang's movement off the ball, so they are unlikely to leave the Coliseum without scoring. Getafe winning this probably requires Ünal to convert one of very few chances while Soria keeps out everything else and that is a thin margin to hold for ninety minutes.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
