Previews
SAT 17.01.2015
At. Osasuna – CE Sabadell (El Sadar, 4 pm)
The two teams come into the clash on opposing runs. The Navarre outfit have claimed three wins and a draw in their last four games, and will now look to continue that good form to close in on the play-off places. The Catalan side, meanwhile, need to come away with a positive result as they look to move out of the relegation zone.
Osasuna will have to manage without a long list of absentees, with Jordan Lotiès and Oier Sanjurjo still injured, Sisi suspended and the internationals Javad Nekounam, Karim Ansarifard, Raoul Loé, Liassine Cadamuro and Cedrick Mabwati on Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations duty with their respective national teams. For Sabadell, the presence of Sotan Tanabe is the major squad news.
CD Lugo – Girona FC (Estadio Ángel Carro, 6 pm)
Lugo need a strong performance in front of their home crowd to regain confidence following a run of five matchdays without tasting victory. Up against them are a Girona side who sit in fifth position and, with just three points separating them from second, will approach the match with maximum ambition.
The injured trio David de Coz, Pelayo Novo and Luis Fernández miss out for the hosts, in addition to the suspended Carlos Pita. Meanwhile, the Catalans will be without David Juncà, who continues his recovery from injury.
R. Racing C. – Albacete B. (El Sardinero, 6:15 pm)
A crunch match between two recently promoted teams whose presence in the relegation zone means that victory appears the only viable objective for both sides. Despite sitting bottom of the Liga Adelante, Albacete come into the clash fresh from claiming the morale boost of a comprehensive 3-0 win over CD Lugo.
Paco Fernández, coach of the Cantabrian outfit, will be without Francis and Álvaro García due to injury, as well as the suspended Borja Granero. Injured forward Chumbi is the chief absentee for the guests.
D. Alavés – UD Las Palmas (Mendizorroza, 8 pm)
Las Palmas will look to tighten their grip on first place against an Alavés team that have suffered two straight defeats and will attempt to put greater distance between themselves and the lower reaches of the table. The Canary Islanders go into the match at Mendizorroza with Ángel, Culio and Nauzet Alemán unavailable through suspension, while the men from Vitoria will be without the injured Jiří Jarošík and Rafa García.
"Las Palmas are a very good side and are doing really well. It’ll be a good chance to put ourselves to the test and it’d be a good time to win at home," said Alavés coach Alberto López. His counterpart in the Las Palmas dugout, Paco Herrera, discussed the difficulty of the encounter: "It’ll be an intense, really hard-fought match about competing for 50-50 challenges and fighting for second balls, and for us it’s a test that we have to come out of on top."
© LALIGA - 2015
