Getafe vs Brighton: Hurzeler’s European XI has barely changed, and Bordalás says LaLiga comes first

Brighton go to Getafe on Thursday having named almost the same starting XI in both of their Conference League games, while José Bordalás has already said LaLiga matters more to him than Europe.

Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton arrive in Spain on a high. Yasin Ayari’s 11th-minute goal gave them a 1-0 win at the Etihad on Saturday, the club’s first ever away win against Manchester City, and it lifted them to third in the Premier League, two points behind the leaders. That came four days after City knocked them out of the Carabao Cup on penalties at the same ground.

Getafe are in a very different place. They lost 5-2 at home to Lugano in their last European game, then 4-0 at Athletic Club, and only a late comeback against Sevilla on Sunday pulled them out of the LaLiga relegation zone.

Getafe vs Brighton: kick-off, venue and competition

Competition: UEFA Conference League, league phase, matchday three

Date: Thursday 5 November 2026

Kick-off: 8pm UK time (9pm in Spain)

Venue: Coliseum, Getafe

It is the last of five away games in a row for Brighton, a run that took them to Jablonec, Liverpool and twice to Manchester. Brentford come to the Amex on Sunday before the international break.

Who is the referee?

Filip Glova of Slovakia takes charge, with fellow Slovaks Daniel Polacek and Peter Bednar as his assistants and Lukáš Dzivjak as fourth official. Belgium’s Jan Boterberg is the VAR, helped by Marian Ruc.

Why Bordalás is angry

The Lugano defeat hurt. Getafe went ahead in the second minute, were 3-1 down at half-time and ended up conceding five at home for the first time since a hammering by Real Madrid ten years ago. Bordalás had rotated, then made four changes at the break, and afterwards he said he was “forced to bring them on at half-time because the embarrassment was obvious”.

He went further than that. “I don’t deserve this. I feel cheated because what has been promised to me year after year hasn’t been fulfilled, and I’m angry,” said the long-serving coach, who feels he has not been given a strong enough squad. Three set-piece goals conceded in Bilbao a few days later only made it worse.

Sunday’s 3-1 win over Sevilla, from a goal down with three in the final quarter, has calmed things. Getafe are now 12th. But asked about Thursday, Bordalás was clear: “Everything is important, but LaLiga must be our main objective.”

Conference League results so far

That leaves Brighton on four points and Getafe on one. It is Getafe’s first ever Conference League campaign and their first time in Europe since 2019-20, when they reached the last 16 of the Europa League.

Getafe vs Brighton team news

Getafe

Zaid Romero has had a relapse of his muscle problem and is out, along with Christantus Uche and Juanmi. Dani Carvajal played right-back against Sevilla, but the former Real Madrid and Spain star is not registered for the Conference League, so Kiko Femenía should come in. Expect more rotation with LaLiga in mind, and Djené to play in midfield.

Brighton

Kaoru Mitoma, Femi Azeez and Evan Ferguson are still out, as they were for the gameweek 9 injury list. Stefanos Tzimas and Zadok Yohanna are due back in senior training this week, but neither is eligible for this game. Pascal Struijk and Ferdi Kadioglu are doubts.

Chema Andrés has a special night ahead. The midfielder spent six years in Real Madrid’s academy, has 25 friends and relatives with tickets, and will face his old Castilla team-mate Mario Martín. “It is a really special game for me,” he said. With Brentford on Sunday, though, a place on the bench looks more likely than a start.

Same XI, different job

Here is the detail that tells you how Hurzeler sees this competition. His starting XI against Kauno Žalgiris and Jablonec was the same apart from one player: Jaouen Hadjam came in for Lewis Dunk. Verbruggen, Costinha, Svoboda, Boscagli, Gross, Yalcouye, Hinshelwood, O’Riley, Osman and Rutter started both games.

So Brighton have, in effect, a cup team. It keeps the Premier League side fresh, and it worked in the opener. Against Jablonec it did not. The Czech side switched to a back five, sat deep and kept a clean sheet, and Hurzeler admitted “we weren’t good at the basics”. It was the first time this season they had failed to score.

Getafe under Bordalás should offer something similar: deep, aggressive and hard to play through. The difference is that this Getafe are fragile. Lugano scored five, Athletic scored three from set-pieces, and that is where Brighton should find their way in. As we said after the City win, the next few weeks are not as soft as they look, and a messy night in Madrid would be the worst start to them.

Who decides this one?

Pascal Gross

Gross started both European games and was on the pitch at the Etihad on Saturday, where he summed up the win simply: “We finally did it.” His set-pieces are the obvious weapon against a side that has been leaking goals from dead balls.

Georginio Rutter

Rutter has led the line in both Conference League games, and with two minutes left at the Etihad he held off two defenders to set up a chance that almost brought a second goal. On a night when space will be tight, his hold-up play matters.

Enes Ünal

Getafe’s most dangerous finisher has just moved into the top three scorers in the club’s LaLiga history with 36 goals. He started on the bench against Lugano, so whether Bordalás risks him here will say a lot about how seriously he takes the night.

Getafe vs Brighton predicted lineups

Midfield is where Brighton are looking to add, with Kenneth Taylor among the names they have asked about for January, but on Thursday we expect Hurzeler to trust his European XI again, with Costinha carrying on at right-back while Kadioglu is a doubt.

Getafe predicted lineup (4-4-2): Soria; Femenía, Abqar, Valou, Davinchi; Andrés García, Djené, Francho, Mario Martín; Mayoral, Azón

Brighton predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Costinha, Svoboda, Boscagli, Hadjam; Gross, Yalcouye; Hinshelwood, O’Riley, Osman; Rutter

Our prediction

Getafe will make it uncomfortable, and Brighton will not have it all their own way for an hour. But a side that has just won at the Etihad should have too much for a team whose own coach calls the league his priority.

Prediction: Getafe 0-2 Brighton