A match that could make all the difference

The Estadio Municipal de Ipurua will witness an encounter between two teams both expected to be involved in the fight for survival, despite the table suggesting otherwise. Ninth-placed SD Eibar host Elche CF in seventeenth, but with just seven points separating the pair in the standings, a win for the visitors would make the battle to stay out of the drop zone significantly tighter.

Team news
Manu del Moral, Jon Errasti, Dídac Vilà and Abraham, all due to different injuries, will be unavailable to coach Gaizka Garitano for the visit of Fran Escribá's men. The Elche boss, for his part, will be without Pedro Mosquera, also injured, but David Lombán and Domingo Cisma have been included in the squad.

Views from the dugout
Garitano is well aware that this is the type of match that can prove the difference between survival and relegation come the end of the campaign, and for that reason he could not hide his concerns in his press conference. "This is one of those games when we need a packed-out Ipurua and the players have to get the fans going with their attitude on the pitch," he explained. Escribá, meanwhile, declared that "every point is important" against direct rivals.