Djené ban limited to one game: Getafe defender free to face Betis
Getafe's Djené Dakonam will only miss the Real Madrid clash after his red card vs Sevilla, with Bordalás now juggling his defensive options.
Getafe can breathe a sigh of relief — Djené Dakonam’s suspension is a one-match ban, meaning the Togolese centre-back will be available again for the visit of Real Betis after sitting out Monday’s trip to the Bernabéu.
The red card worry that didn’t materialise
When Djené picked up a straight red against Sevilla last weekend, there was genuine concern at the Coliseum that the punishment could stretch beyond the Real Madrid fixture. A longer ban would’ve been a proper headache for José Bordalás, wiping out one of his first-choice defenders for back-to-back games. As it turns out, the Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee has kept it to just the one match. Job done, move on.
Who fills in at the Bernabéu?
So with Djené definitely out for the Madrid trip and Abdel Abqar carrying a doubt, Bordalás is short of options at the back for what is, let’s be honest, one of the toughest away days in La Liga. Here’s what he’s working with:
- Mario Martín is set to slot back into midfield, which frees up the positional puzzle somewhat
- Sebastian Boselli — who hasn’t had a massive amount of game time this season — could come in alongside Domingos Duarte and Zaid Romero to form a back three
- Juan Iglesias and Allan Nyom are also options at centre-back, both having filled in there before
- A switch to a back four is on the table too, which would mean one of the central defenders drops to the bench as cover
Diego Rico back in the picture?
One interesting knock-on effect of all this shuffling: if Nyom or Iglesias step into the middle, Diego Rico could reclaim his place at left-back. The Spaniard has been out of the starting XI for a few weeks now, so this defensive reshuffle might hand him a route back in.
Bordalás will also likely dip into the Getafe B squad, with Lucas Laso or another youngster potentially making the matchday squad to bulk out the defensive numbers.
The bigger picture
Getafe have been quietly solid at the back for much of this season, so losing Djené — even just for one game — is a blow. He’s been a cornerstone of Bordalás’s defensive setup. But the fact that the ban doesn’t spill over into the Betis match is massive. That’s a far more winnable fixture, and having your first-choice centre-back available for it matters a great deal in the context of Getafe’s season.
For now, it’s damage limitation at the Bernabéu, then back to business against Betis.