Previews
SÁB 03.01.2015
Elche CF and Villarreal CF go into the first game of 2015 in very different situations. The need for points of the Ilicitanos contrasts with the joy of Marcelino García-Toral's men who, with a victory, will equal their best ever run in the Liga BBVA. However, a win is precisely what Fran Escribá's men need to climb up from the bottom of the table.
Team news
Captain Edu Albácar will not feature in Elche’s first starting eleven of 2015 through suspension. The injured Pedro Mosquera and José Ángel, with muscle problems, are also unavailable. There are a large number of absences for the Yellows, who go into the fixture without Tomás Pina, through suspension, as well as Mateo Musacchio, Cani, Hernán Pérez and Jokić, all injured.
Thoughts from the dugout
The Ilicitanos manager Fran Escribá was categorical about Saturday's encounter. "We need points now. It's time to turn around our results and, though Villarreal are a good team, it’s just one match, and we can win".
His counterpart in the dugout also said that his team expect Elche to be "a tremendously intense opposition, who will have the support of their fans and will be highly motivated because of their situation", but he indicated that his side "will do everything possible to get the year off to a winning start".
© LALIGA - 2015