Getafe will host Rayo Vallecano this Monday at the Coliseum, and the match may also bring the first minutes in blue for Dani Carvajal. The defender has recently joined Getafe to reinforce right back, but he is not expected to start.
Carvajal is still training to reach his best form, while Kiko Femenía is currently ahead to begin on the right side. That leaves room for only a limited role if Getafe decide to use him at all, and even then his debut would be brief rather than a full shift in the starting XI.
The search around this game is driven by more than one storyline. Getafe come in after drawing with Universitatea Craiova in the Liga Conferencia and losing to Barcelona in LaLiga, with just four goals in eight league matches. That attacking record has made every player who might change the balance feel more important than usual.
There is also no shortage of issues in the squad. Andrés García was replaced at halftime against Universitatea Craiova because of discomfort, though he trained with the rest of his teammates on Saturday. Juanmi Rodríguez is out with a knee injury, Christantus Uche is ruled out for the entire season, and Enes Ünal, Orel Mangala and Iván Azón have all had physical problems. Zaid Romero was injured against Barcelona, which only adds to the uncertainty around José Bordalás' options.
Rayo Vallecano arrive with their own unresolved problem. Their last match against Athletic was suspended after more than twenty minutes when thousands of paper airplanes and other small objects were thrown onto the pitch in a protest against the management of Raúl Martín Presa. That match will be resumed behind closed doors, but the date has not yet been set, and Andrei Rat remains unavailable as they prepare for the derby.
So Monday is about two things at once: a Madrid derby that matters on its own, and a possible first appearance for Carvajal that may amount to only a few minutes. If he gets on the field, it will be because Getafe think he is ready enough to matter now, not because he is already ready to carry the full weight of the right side.
