Previews
SUN 17.05.2015
Girona FC - R. Zaragoza (12pm, Municipal de Montilivi)
The second and sixth placed sides will face off at midday on Sunday, with each looking to make the most of the opportunity of continuing towards their respective goals. The Catalans, who trail the league leaders by four points, are looking for automatic promotion, while the Aragon outfit need a win to keep their hopes of Liga BBVA football next season alive.
"We’ll be fighting for three extremely valuable points, but we’re not counting our chickens just yet", stated the Zaragoza coach, Ranko Popović, who will be without Leandro Cabrera and Lolo Ortiz for this clash. The Montilivi players are full of confidence ahead of this match, as their boss, Pablo Machín, alluded to in his pre-match press conference: "If we’ve made it this far it’s because we’re good enough and we’ll be giving it 100% to clinch automatic promotion".
SD Ponferradina - UE Llagostera (4pm, El Toralín)
El Toralín will host a true six-pointer. Only two points separate the Castile and León and Catalan outfits so whoever wins this game will have the upper edge in terms of making it to the playoffs.
This match will play a key role in both clubs’ seasons. "If we really want a chance of promotion we have to win this game, there’s no two ways about it", declared the Ponferradina boss, Manolo Díaz, in his pre-match press conference. Elsewhere, Lluís Carrillo spoke warily of the threat posed by his Costa Brava side’s upcoming opponents: "They have very attack-minded players in the middle of the park so our defenders will have to be fully alert, as will our front men. That’s the only way we can hope to win this match".
R. Betis - CD Lugo (6:15pm, Benito Villamarín)
Consolidating a place near the top of the league table and avoiding the drop are the respective objectives as the Andalusians and Galicians cross paths on Sunday. Neither team can afford any slip-ups, and both will be keen to pick up more points.
Dani Pacheco and Lolo Reyes are both unavailable for Pepe Mel, who stated that "teams like Lugo always make it very difficult for you". Despite having to make do without Pelayo Novo in midfield and David Aganzo up front, the Galicians’ coach, Quique Setién, has said that, "we are confident and have faith in our ability to win this match".
CD Tenerife - AD Alcorcón (9pm, Heliodoro Rodríguez López)
Facing off a bit further down the table are the Canary Islanders and the Madrid outfit, two clubs that are looking to finish out the season as strongly as possible. With safety in the division already in the bag, Alcorcón travel to a Tenerife side eager to climb away from their current position in the table, just two points above the relegation zone.
Both Tenerife and Alcorcón will be looking to make the most of their strengths to pick up points from this encounter. In the case of the home side, the Canary Island ground has turned into somewhat of a fortress over the last six home fixtures. However, the Madrid outfit have also been in excellent defensive form during this spell, keeping clean sheets in each of their last six games.
© LALIGA - 2015