MADRID, March 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Power Horse Stadium in Almería and the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona will be the venues this Saturday for two direct duels for permanence, an objective that Rayo Vallecano wants to bring closer in the visit of an idol of the fans like Míchel and his Girona, in matches corresponding to the twenty-sixth day of LaLiga Santander 2022-2023.
Saturday’s activity opens at 2:00 p.m. at the Power Horse Stadium where UD Almería, penultimate with 25 points, and Cádiz, sixteenth-placed with 27 and who want to drive away a direct rival taking advantage of your best feelings.
The team from Almería has not been able to continue their great victory against the leader FC Barcelona and has not added anything in their next two games against Villarreal (0-2) and Sevilla (2-1), which has made it quite difficult for them your situation.
Joan Francesc Ferrer’s men, ‘Rubi’, are now appealing to recover their strength in their stadium to add three vital points that will allow them to ‘sleep’ at least out of relegation. The Andalusian team is the fourth best at home of the season with 22 points added and needs its eighth victory at home to go to the international break with force.
In addition, they will face a Cádiz that is not one of the best visitors in the championship, with only two wins and only one point scored in their last four trips, but who arrives in better spirits after having added five points in the last three days.
However, the last one achieved left a very bitter taste in the ranks of Cadistas. The team from Cádiz had victory in their hands against Getafe last Friday, but a late penalty deprived them of two key points and also paid a heavy toll for their anger with the refereeing.
Thus, Competition punished goalkeeper Jeremías Ledesma and defender Iza Carcelén with four and three games respectively, casualties in Almería along with Fali, also suspended, and the injured Rubén Alcaraz and Brian Ocampo. Rubi, for his part, cannot count on Sergio Akieme, El Bilal Toure and Gonzalo Melero, and recovers César de la Hoz for an eleven with a possible return to the defense of four.
ESPANYOL RECEIVES A CELTA ON THE RISE
For their part, at 6:30 p.m., at the RCDE Stadium, two other teams that are fighting to avoid relegation and that are in different dynamics will meet: RCDE Espanyol, fifteenth with 27 points, and Celta, eleventh with 31.
The blue and white team is the only one of the two that runs the risk of going to the ‘rest’ due to the break in serious danger if they fail to beat the Celtic who, on the other hand, attend the event somewhat more ‘calm’ after the improvement offered in the last meetings that allow him to have a cushion of five points on the penultimate.
The ‘parrots’ are still unable to have the necessary regularity to take off some pressure. They had freed themselves somewhat with their victories against Elche and Mallorca, but they fell on their two consecutive visits to Valladolid and Real Madrid and the emergencies have returned.
Espanyol intends to appease them in their stadium, where they know their main options to save themselves are passing and where they are still having a hard time getting points. In fact, it is the second worst team of the season at home with only three wins and hopes to start gaining momentum against a Celta with some desire for revenge.
The Galician team was eliminated at the RCDE Stadium in the Copa del Rey with some controversy and now they intend to take something valuable that will keep them in their ascending line in 2023 and that has led them to exceed the 30-point range and see closer the goal.
The ‘celestials’ have gone four games without losing, with a 3-0 victory last Sunday against Rayo Vallecano, and adding eight vital points that have confirmed a stable improvement because of their last seven games, they have only lost, and in the last sigh, against Atlético. At home, however, they still have to improve, although they have managed to strengthen themselves at the back with three clean sheets in a row and only one goal conceded in the last four games.
Diego Martínez, coach of the Espanyol team, has doubts about Brian Oliván, already absent at the Bernabéu, for the left side, while Carlos Carvalhal, coach of the Vigo team, recovers captain Hugo Mallo.
RAYO DOES NOT WANT ‘GIFTS’ FOR MÍCHEL
Finally, at 4:15 p.m., at the Vallecas Stadium, Rayo Vallecano will meet, in a situation closer to Europe, but with poor results, and Girona, a rival that wants to get away from relegation and trained by a figure idolized by the franjirroja fans such as Miguel Ángel Sánchez, ‘Míchel’.
The Vallecano team continues in a comfortable position in the table, seventh at 35 points, with nine income from relegation and just three from Villarreal’s sixth place that gives access to continental competition, but their main concern is to ensure salvation for free yourself and focus on more ambitious goals later.
Especially at a time when Rayo is having a hard time finding the path to victory that was the one that led them to noble positions in the table. Andoni Iraola’s men have not won for more than a month, with three points out of 15 possible, they come from losing thrashed in Balaídos (3-0) and with an offensive drought after three games without scoring and only two goals in this losing streak.
For its part, Girona does not arrive with its best feelings either, having lost its last two games against Getafe and, last Monday and in the 94th minute, against Atlético de Madrid, which cut short a good moment that had allowed it put distance with descent.
The Girona team is twelfth with 30 points and goes to what was Míchel’s home as a player and coach with the hope of scratching something positive, although he suffers much more away from Montilivi, especially defensively, despite not making They won too much at San Mamés (2-3) and have been able to draw at the Bernabéu (1-1).
Iraola only has the loss of Ivan Balliu on the right side due to suspension, while Míchel, who already knows what it is to keep his heart apart in Vallecas, where he has never won as a visiting coach, will have the significant loss in the midfield of Aleix García, injured against Atlético.
–SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY OF LALIGA SANTANDER DAY 26.
UD Almeria – Cadiz. Del Cerro Grande (C.Madrileño) 14.00.
Rayo Vallecano – Girona. González Fuertes (C.Asturiano) 16.15.
Spanish – Celtic. Cuadra Fernández (C. Balearic Islands) 18.30.
Athletic of Madrid – Valencia. Munuera Montero (C. Andalusian) 21.00.