Raúl de Tomás was called to be one of the key footballers in these 11 days in which Espanyol had to try to save himself, but some inconvenience has prevented Madrid from being decisive. The footballer himself, who has been improving in training, believes that he faces the final stretch of his discomfort and that this week he can rejoin the calls. Espanyol needs it to try to beat Betis and Real Madrid and get back to those First positions.
The alarms went off in the preview of the match against Alavés, when Abelardo Fernández confirmed that RdT had some discomfort and perhaps would not be a starter. The Madrid player was summoned but played just under 30 minutes with the match now 2-0. Espanyol's top scorer had little impact on the game with four goals in LaLiga and one in the Copa del Rey. Later, the Asturian coach revealed RdT tendinitis, off the list in Getafe and against Levante.
The return of RdT is timely, just in the first 'match-ball' of Espanyol not to drop, a week in which the visit to Seville and the duel against Madrid seem key. The arrival of Madrid, the most expensive signing in the history of the club, is also timely to give refreshment to Jonathan Calleri and Wu Lei, the starting forwards in Abelardo's three games. While the Argentine still does not see the door, the Chinese did score against Alavés. The centrals Bernardo Espinosa and David López accompanied him in this facet.
The RdT foray will displace one of those two players to substitute. Calleri, a footballer who has already played alongside the Madrid player in matches such as Vila-Real or Granada, where he gave him a goal assist and others that ended on clear opportunities, seems like the ideal teammate for RdT.