MADRID, 22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Sociedad and Villarreal will be in charge this Friday (9:00 p.m.) of opening the twenty-sixth day of LaLiga EA Sports 2023-2024 with a duel at the Reale Arena where the locals seek to strengthen their European position without thinking about the Copa del Rey against an improved rival that wants to definitively leave relegation behind.
The Gipuzkoan team will defend its sixth place in the table, which it regained last day with its agonizing victory in Palma de Mallorca and where it only has a one-point advantage over Betis, against a Castellón team that wants to extend its good margin of nine points over Cádiz, second to last and that marks the 'burning'.
A little further into the 90th minute by Mikel Merino gave the 'txuri-urdines' three points against RCD Mallorca in a match that put an end to a bad dynamic of five matches, in all competitions, without winning or scoring, a good emotional reinforcement for what lies ahead, especially next Tuesday with the return of the Copa del Rey semifinals, precisely against the vermilion team.
And this match is surely marked in red by coach Imanol Alguacil, especially after the 0-0 in the first leg. The prize of aspiring to a title is very close and that can greatly affect the eleven they have against the 'Yellow Submarine', who will try to take advantage of these rotations to score three important points.
In Palma, only Barrenetxea rotated from the theoretical starting eleven and the realistic coach, who continues with the infirmary with many people, including Mikel Oyarzabal, could distribute more efforts in his eleven with the starting positions of footballers such as Zakharyan, Pacheco, Turrientes or Aramburu. Sheraldo Becker and Kieran Tierney are new to the list, but Alguacil sees them as “just right” and it seems like they could help coming off the bench.
In front, a Villarreal that seems to be little by little gaining the solidity that Marcelino García Toral wanted and that has allowed him to put a stop to relegation, although now it is at the top where he has the most concerns and what has prevented him from adding more points that would bring it closer to a European area that is very far away (14 points).
The 'groguet' team has gone five games without losing, but four of them have ended in a draw, with only three goals scored, which has harmed the defensive improvement, with also three goals conceded. The exception, on both sides of the field, was at the Lluís Companys, where they got their only victory of this streak, the remembered 3-5 against FC Barcelona.
Villarreal has not yet managed to find the key away from home this season and hopes to do so at the Reale Arena to take revenge for the tough 0-3 they received at La Cerámica from Real. Alexander Sorloth, who returns to San Sebastián, seems fully recovered and could accompany Gerard Moreno in the attack, while the Asturian coach has doubts about Kiko Femenía, although the right back travels.
–LALIGA EASPORTS DAY 26 PROGRAM.
-Friday the 23rd.
Real Sociedad – Villarreal. Villanueva Churches (C.Gallego) 21.00.
-Saturday 24.
Granada – Valencia. Hernández Hernández (C. Las Palmas) 14.00.
Barcelona – Getafe. Muñiz Ruiz (C.Gallego) 16.15.
Alavés – Mallorca. García Verdura (Catalan) 18.30.
Almeria – Atlético de Madrid. Alberola Rojas (CC-Manchego) 21.00.
-Domingo 25.
Cádiz – Celta. Ortiz Arias (C. Madrid) 14.00.
Real Betis – Athletic Club. Cuadra Fernández (C.Balearic) 16.15.
The Palms – Osasuna. Munuera Montero (C.Andaluz)
Real Madrid – Seville. Díaz de Mera Escuderos (CC-Manchego) 21.00. 21.00.
-Monday 26.
Girona – Rayo Vallecano. From Burgos Bengoetxea (C.Basque) 21.00.