Nuevo Estadio de Los Carmenes will play host to an intriguing contest Copa del Rey contest on Friday evening, with second-tier outfit Granada welcoming La Liga side Getafe in the last-32 stage of the competition.

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Granada finished bottom of the 2023-24 La Liga table to drop into the Segunda Division, but they are in the mix to challenge for an immediate return to the top flight for the 2025-26 campaign.

Indeed, a total of 33 points from 21 matches has left them in seventh spot in the second tier, level on points with sixth-placed Huesca, while they are only five points off second-placed Mirandes on the same number of games.

Fran Escriba's side have only lost one of their last five games in all competitions, including a 1-1 draw against Eibar in the league last time out, while they beat Real Zaragoza on penalties in the last round of the Copa del Rey.

Granada have never won the Copa del Rey, with their best performance in the competition coming in 1958-59, when they reached the final, losing 4-1 to Barcelona after beating Valencia in the semi-finals.

Grana have not actually beaten Friday's opponents since October 2020, and the last meeting between the two sides, which took place in La Liga last January, ended in a 2-0 success for Getafe.

Getafe, meanwhile, entered the winter break in Spain off the back of a successive league defeats to Atletico and Mallorca, and they currently sit 17th in the La Liga table, picking up only 16 points from 18 matches.

The capital side actually have the third-best defensive record in La Liga this term, conceding just 15 times, but they have the worst attacking record, finding the back of the net on just 11 occasions.

The Deep Blue Ones have also never won the Copa del Rey, but they have reached the final on two previous occasions, with their last appearance in the showpiece event coming in 2007-08.

Avoiding relegation will, for obvious reasons, be their main priority this season, with the Copa del Rey not particularly high on their list of priorities, but they will be determined to avoid what would be a disappointing elimination.

Getafe have had to win twice to reach this stage of the 2024-25 Copa del Rey, beating Manises and Orihuela, and they have actually been victorious in six of their last seven games in the competition.

Granada possible starting lineup:

Zidane; Lama, Williams, Perez; Sanchez, Corbeanu, Ruiz, Trigueros, Rodelas; Uzuni, Weissman

Getafe possible starting lineup:

Letacek; Iglesias, Berrocal, Alderete, Rico; Arambarri, Santiago; Sola, Uche, Perez; Rodriguez