Analytical and prudent, with the virtue of always controlling all possible scenarios, Vicente Moreno had everything studied for the meeting on Wednesday in Solares. Up to four regular headlines, the most loaded with minutes, stayed in Barcelona; Others, on the other hand, traveled in case the match required it, while there are only three players with options to be starters on Sunday who participated in 45 minutes. Espanyol arrives intact in Vallecas.
Sergi Gómez led the defense together with Fernando Calero in a pristine first half of Espanyol. A 0-2 that paved the way for the next round. The Catalan center-back played aggressive, put his leg in and defended the goal of Joan García, a good job for a player chosen by LaLiga in the November ‘eleven’ and who is untouchable. Also Manu Morlanes and Keidi Bare, with options both to play against Rayo Vallecano, they were relieved at halftime, so they only participated in 45 minutes.
Diego López had already stayed in Barcelona (also in the LaLiga team in November), Raúl de Tomás, Leandro Cabrera and Adrián Embarba. Adrià Pedrosa, Aleix Vidal, Sergi Darder, Yangel Herrera and Javi Puado traveled to Cantabria, but Espanyol’s unit B, with the leading role of Loren Morón, Calero, Óscar Melendo or Nico Melamed, He solved the ballot with some suffering at the end but with chances to score in the rainy afternoon.
The squad has returned to training pending the small problems suffered by RdT (ankle) and Embarba (knee) against Real Sociedad, and also the evolution of Nany Dimata and Álvaro Vadillo, also absent in the Cup. The visit against Rayo saves a jackpot: Madrid are sixth and Espanyol is four points behind. A victory would place them at the gates of Europe.