Illusion moves mountains. And on that they rely clubs from non-professional competitions, the little ones, who face in this first round, a single match, a old. Or rather, those who are in a higher category, as is the case of the Second Division.
The LaLiga SmartBank teams, however, they have a dilemma: go for one more round in the Cup or focus on a league championship that will mark your situation at the end of the season: promotions, permanence, demotions …
In general, everyone will bet on rotating in a first Copa del Rey tie that promises a lot of excitement.
Sporting debuts as a visitor at El Molinón
Tonight, the old El Molinón stadium hosts the first Gijon derby in history in the Copa del Rey with the particularity that Unión Ceares will be the home team against a Sporting in crisis in the league, which opens as a visitor in which it is your home.
This pairing has been considered like a party of the soccer of Gijón, although this Sporting is not for parties. Ceares, a Second RFEF team, found all the facilities to leave its La Cruz field for a day, in the popular neighborhood of the club with the same name, and move to the municipal stadium to guarantee greater entry. Yesterday, more than 3,000 seats had been sold.
The most important novelty at Sporting is the presence of Uros Djurdjevic in a call-up without Babin and Valiente.
Almería meets its former president
EI Almería returns to the Cup after its excellent role last season, when it reached the quarterfinals. In front there will be several acquaintances, starting with Alfonso García, who was president of Almería for 16 years. García now presides over an Águilas with a rojiblanco past: Kalu Uche, Molinero and Chumi. The Nigerian, with 39 springs, is the sixth player who has worn the red and white jacket the most times: up to 212 times. In addition, with 44 goals, he is the fifth top scorer in the history of the Indálico club, through which he passed during three stages, promotion to First with Emery included.
Rubi will present at the flirtatious El Rubial, where the UDA always plays a preseason friendly, an unprecedented line-up, with those who are having fewer minutes. Even Puñal, from the subsidiary, has his options. Eagles, for their part, face the game at a delicate moment: five consecutive games without winning and just one victory in the last nine games. The Almeria Molo was struck down three weeks ago and the bench is now occupied by Gaspar Campillo, also a sports director.
Artificial turf, Montijo’s ally against Burgos
The Copa del Rey tie is presented as a good opportunity for Montijo to try to access the second round against a Burgos that is not used to playing games on artificial grass such as Emilio Macarro and in which there will be rotations.
The local team comes from winning the second classified of their RFEF Second group this weekend, confirming their good moment of form, which alerts Julián Calero’s team, who wants to avoid being part of the surprises that occur every year in this competition.
Break. The Burgos team has barely been able to prepare for the match after winning the weekend at Malaga, which, together with the load of games and minutes of some of their players, has led Calero to leave Juanma, Valcarce, Grego at home Sierra and Saúl Berjón.
Thus, the Madrid coach will give an opportunity to the players who have played the least minutes this season, but with the intention of going to the round despite the fact that his main objective is to maintain the category in Second.
First minutes of Masip and Carnero with Valladolid
What should have been a party for Marchamalo and his team, the weekend was dyed in mourning with the death of two workers who were working on improving the lighting of La Solana. After the logical cry, the ball will roll, with the desire of the people of Guatemala to pay tribute to the two deceased against a Real Valladolid whom they want to surprise, as they did last season with Huesca, which they took to extra time.
Pacheta and his team are warned of what can happen if they are not attentive in a narrow field, more than they are used to, where, however, the Blanquivioleta coach will use a completely different eleven from the one that beat Cartagena in the league on Saturday. This was recognized yesterday by the coach, who highlighted the benefits of his team and that will make Masip and Carnero debut this year.
In purely competitive terms, the 1-7 defeat against Levante Atlético on the last day was a jug of cold water for Aitor Gómez’s team, who, however, will want to hold on to the fact that his only victory this season has been before its public and the epic that the Copa del Rey often offers so that the tribute, not the party, is complete.
Huesca wants to end its bad streak in Cayón
Fernando Astobiza from Santa María de Cayón, a population of 9,000 inhabitants, will wear his best clothes this afternoon for the visit of Huesca in a historic match in the Cantabrian town. Despite the significant rains in recent hours, the pitch will be ready to receive Xisco’s men, who need to cut their pronounced scoring drought against the bottom of group II of the Second RFEF.
Pitta and Escriche will have the minutes they long for to break their losing streaks, but the great attraction is at the top of the subsidiary: Carlos Kevin.
For its part, the local team, coached by former Betis Luis Fernández, wants to celebrate its historic championship achieved last season with this cup match against a rival from the Second Division.
Carrión distrusts Rioja, leader of his group
Cartagena visits Racing Rioja, a team that is two categories below, but which Luis Carrión does not trust. The Albinegro coach knows how badly his team is having a hard time away from home in the League, only seven points out of 30 possible, and also a rival who has achieved five wins in the six games he has played at home is measured, tying the other. In addition, the Riojans are leaders of their Second RFEF group.
Carrión, who has the idea of going as far as possible in the competition, will give minutes to the less usual. These will be responsible for not repeating the elimination of the last edition, when he fell against Pontevedra in the crash that led to the cessation of Borja Jiménez as coach. The novelty, the possible debut of the French Prior under sticks.
The illusion of Teruel measures the depression of the Alcorcón
Alcorcón became known worldwide in the Copa del Rey after eliminating the almighty Real Madrid. Twelve years have passed from that. More than a decade later, those of Fran Fernández want to use their good copera tune to know again what it is to win. And it is that victory has eluded Alcorcón since October 10, when they beat Burgos 1-0.
For Fernández, the Cup “is an opportunity” and the fact is that the potter team is an outstanding bottom player in the Second Division and has salvation at 11 points. Not many changes are expected in the Alcorcón eleven but there are some rotations. Aguilera and Juanma will be casualties in Madrid, who will have in front of the leader of group III of the Second RFEF.
Teruel have only lost one game all season, they are a well-worked team defensively and they already made things very difficult for Rayo Vallecano in the Cup last year. The Pinilla stadium will be overturned with theirs to get the machado. The people of Teruel have the loss of Cabezas.
Sanluqueño – Sabadell: Dani Güiza misses the cup event in Sanlúcar
An inopportune injury leaves Dani Güiza out of action, Sanluqueño figure and great absentee in a duel where Sabadell is more aware of its league hardships, rotating the recently landed Pedro Munitis in his starting eleven after debuting with defeat at home.
With both teams in group 2 of Primera RFEF, the Andalusians’ position is much more comfortable, although last October 15 they faced each other in Nova Creu Alta and the points went to Sabadell after winning 1-0 . The harlequins crossed the peninsula with the absence in the center of the rear of Aleix Coch, injured in the adductor magnus of his right leg. For his part, the local coach Pedro Buenaventura summons the 22 available with the illusion of the pass and the box office.
Albacete – Racing Ferrol: Illusion for the Cup, but with an eye on the weekend
Manchegos and Ferrolanos see each other in a balanced a priori duel, where the more than foreseeable rotations can mark the fate of the meeting.
Rubén de la Barrera, coach of Albacete Balompié, has the confirmed casualties of Javi, Jeisson and Yaimil. “The Copa del Rey is exciting, but they and we have important league games next Saturday (Alcoyano and Dépor, respectively). We will not go out to comply with the record, but to compete ”, warned the coach. The most overloaded headlines of minutes will rest.
Badajoz – Alcoyano: Two roosters of First RFEF share a box office
Badajoz and Alcoyano park their reality for a few hours in the First RFEF to play in the Cup, both thinking about the possibility of the pass and a future blockbuster against a big one.
The locals recover Pardo and Jilmar in defense, and it is more than likely that they will enter the eleven since the infirmary of Badajoz is full with Dani Fernández, Otegui and Truyols as the last tenants. They could even have minutes several homegrown players, already present in the last calls. Alcoyano arrives with his cup heroics against Huesca and Real Madrid still recent, and wants more.
Náxara – Andorra: The ‘temple’ of La Salera dreams of seeing a great
One of the most peculiar courses of the Second RFEF is La Salera, nestled in the middle of the forest in the Riojan town of Nájera, and always in the media when Náxara appears at the big competitions. After ten seasons, the locals play the Cup again and the visitor is none other than Andorra de Piqué and Eder Sarabia.
The Pyrenees are active in the First RFEF and hope to assert their superior status against the modest Najerino team, which takes refuge in the enchantment of its field and “the thousand of La Salera”, a motto that speaks of their faithful hobby. The locals occupy the 15th place in their Second RFEF group, in the relegation zone after four defeats in five games.
Eder Sarabia, coach of the Andorrans, stressed that “it is a new competition and we face it with enormous enthusiasm. We want to do something important in the Cup ”. The Riojans will not make it easy in a meeting where the cold will be the protagonist.
An inopportune injury leaves Dani Güiza out of action, Sanluqueño figure and great absentee in a duel where Sabadell is more aware of its league hardships, rotating the recently landed Pedro Munitis in his starting eleven after debuting with defeat at home.
With both teams in group 2 of Primera RFEF, the Andalusians’ position is much more comfortable, although last October 15 they faced each other in Nova Creu Alta and the points went to Sabadell after winning 1-0 . The harlequins crossed the peninsula with the absence in the center of the rear of Aleix Coch, injured in the adductor magnus of his right leg. For his part, the local coach Pedro Buenaventura summons the 22 available with the illusion of the pass and the box office. —Area 11