MADRID, 22 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Athletic Club will seek to get closer to the European zone of the LaLiga Santander classification at the cost of distancing Villarreal, while Valencia will want to get out of their crisis against Mallorca, Espanyol will keep their good moment in Elche and Alavés come out of relegation in a direct duel with Cádiz, in matches corresponding to the tenth round of the championship that are played this Saturday.
At the San Mamés Stadium (9:00 p.m.) the Saturday activity will close with a theoretical most attractive duel of the day, which measures Athletic Club, ninth with 13 points, and Villarreal, twelfth with eleven, two teams that want to aspire to play in European competition next season.
Marcelino García Toral’s team wants to start making ‘La Catedral’ a fortress to aspire to those high heights and comes to this game with much more rest than Unai Emery’s since he did not play last day and has been around twenty days without playing since he beat Deportivo Alavés by the minimum.
The ‘Yellow Submarine’, on the other hand, comes with more load on his legs after playing the Champions League on Wednesday a very physically demanding duel against the Swiss Young Boys, which he pushed forward to compensate for Sunday’s defeat at La Cerámica against Osasuna (1-2).
However, both teams anticipate an intense and close match. Athletic has only conceded four goals this season, in five games they have not conceded and only Rayo Vallecano, the only one to win the victory at San Mamés, has been able to score more than one goal.
Villarreal also maintains its discipline behind with only five goals conceded and will appear in Bilbao undefeated at home, although with four draws, two of them at the Metropolitano and the Bernabéu, and only two goals scored, both against Atlético. The return of Gerard Moreno, who has scored in his last two games, can help improve that aspect against one of the best defenders in the championship so far.
Marcelino García has no relevant casualties beyond the injured Yuri and Unai Núñez and must decide between Sancet and Raúl García to accompany Iñaki Williams, while Emery seems that he will not modify his eleven in Switzerland excessively, with Alberto Moreno, Trigueros and Paco Alcacer as ‘refreshment’ options.
VALENCIA, TO REUNE WITH VICTORY
On the other hand, the day will open in Mestalla at 2:00 p.m. with the duel between a Valencia that is not going through its best moment of the season and Mallorca, which is not solid either, especially at home.
The defeat last Sunday at the Camp Nou marked the fifth day without a win for José Bordalás’ team, which started with ten of the first twelve points and since then has only been able to add two points, which has taken him down somewhat from the ” train ‘to Europe.
To reengage, the ‘che’ need to return to the path of victory in their stadium, where they have stumbled in their last two games against Real Madrid (1-2) and Athletic (1-1). The central Alderete is emerging as the only novelty in the eleven compared to 3-1 against Barça.
In front, a Mallorca that is not in a very optimal moment after also signing a somewhat hopeful start with seven points from the first nine and then getting stuck and only taking four of the next 18.
In addition, Luis García Plaza’s team is suffering at home and will appear in the Turia capital with three consecutive starts with defeat and only one goal scored, the one scored at the Bernabéu by a Kang-in Lee who is emerging as a starter on his return to home’. Baba, a key piece in the middle and who rotated the previous day, will return to an eleven where the ‘9’ could be Ángel, ‘old acquaintance’ of Bordalás.
With 12 points like Valencia is Espanyol, a team that is on the rise at the moment and that will test its good mood in its direct duel at Martínez Valero (18.30) against an irregular Elche, but more solid at home.
Vicente Moreno’s team arrives at this appointment after chaining two consecutive victories at the RCDE Stadium, one of level against Real Madrid and another against Cádiz this Monday, and in total they have added 10 of the last 15 points, a streak that they want keep to keep putting land in between with the descent.
Elche, for their part, is with nine points and has just lost in Vallecas 2-1, in what was their third defeat in the last four games, so they are most in need of points. However, at Martínez Valero he has not yet lost in his four duels, with one victory and three draws, and he clings to that better solidity to return to the path of victory and move away from relegation.
Escribá has no casualties and could return to the defense of three centrals and Lucas Pérez could be Boyé’s companion upstairs, while Moreno still has Badé’s loss for the center of the field and it seems that he will recover Aleix Vidal, down against Cádiz .
Finally, Saturday is completed with another direct duel and between the neediest teams such as Deportivo Alavés and Cádiz, nineteenth and sixteenth classified respectively, who will face each other in Mendizorrotza (16.30).
The team from Vitoria and Cádiz are separated by four points and the situation of both is not too good nor are they in a high mood, although those of Javi Calleja, because they are on the decline, do have greater urgency.
The ‘babazorros’ come from chaining two consecutive defeats that stopped their joy for their victory against Atlético, while Álvaro Cervera’s men have not won for four games and with only one goal scored. Edgar and Lejeune could be novelties in the premises, while Negredo, Perea and Alex Fernández aspire to return to the eleven in the visitors.
– SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY DAY 10 OF LALIGA SANTANDER.
Valencia – Mallorca. From Cerro Grande (Madrid) 14:00.
Cádiz – Alavés. Alberola Rojas (CC-Manchego) 16:15.
Elche – Espanyol. Figueroa Vázquez (C. Andalusz) 18:30.
Athletic – Villarreal. Cuadra Fernández (C. Balear) 21:00.