Francisco's eleven

In his second season at the helm of UD Almería, the young manager Francisco Javier Rodríguez is aiming to improve on the club's seventeenth place last season and continue building a competitive and courageous team that can make life seriously difficult for the top teams in the championship. This matchday, with Almería going up against Granada CF, 'LFP.es, in depth' analyses their likely line-up for the clash.

Rubén Iván (Goalkeeper)
Games played: 11. Goals conceded: 14.
The task of replacing Esteban Suárez in goal was never going to be easy, but Rubén has managed to bring reliability to a team that, with 14 goals against, has the tenth best defensive record in the championship. Though he only has one clean sheet under his belt, the Almería keeper has made 34 saves and has avoided any heavy scoring by teams like FC Barcelona, Athletic Club, Atlético Madrid and Villarreal CF.

Ximo Navarro (Right Back)
Games played: 10. Minutes played: 900.
One of the first new signings to arrive and also one of the first to become a key man for Almería this season. Ximo has faced stars like Luis Suárez, Antoine Griezmann and Giovani dos Santos and he has not disappointed with his performances. His youth belies the level-headedness, speed and attacking tendencies that he brings to the team in every game.

Mauro dos Santos (Centre Back)
Games played: 10. Goals scored. 1.
In addition to being strong with his feet in the back line, Mauro is adept at clearing aerial balls that reach the defence. And he can also score. The experienced Argentine defender, well acquainted with Spanish football, scored against Real Sociedad on matchday four to earn three vital points for Almería.

Ángel Trujillo (Centre Back)
Games played: 11. He has been with Almería since 2007.
He is one of Francisco's trusted men and in recent years he has led the Almería defence. Trujillo has not missed a single game so far this season and he can claim to be one of the most consistent and brilliant defenders in the Liga BBVA. Last year he was only shown six cards and he is aiming to repeat the feat again this year.

Sebastián Dubarbier (Left Back)
Games played: 10. Minutes played: 889.
Though his strength is in defence, the passes (331) and ball recoveries (41) he has completed this season have been an important bonus for the team. He is now aiming to establish himself on the left side, where he competes for a starting spot with José Manuel 'Mané' Jiménez.

Ramón Azeez (midfielder)
Games played: 7. Ball recoveries: 27.
The Nigeria international is one of the stars of the Almería academy. Last year, Francisco gave him the chance to show his abilities with the first team and he did not disappoint. Although he has alternated a starting berth with Thomas Partey, Azeez is the favourite to cover the suspended Ghanaian's absence. He has an 80% pass completion rate and has only committed three fouls despite playing defensively.

Verza (Midfielder)
Games played: 11. Passes completed: 544.
Verza is, undoubtedly, Almería’s driving force in midfield. Everything goes through him. He works both to contain the opposition and to initiate his own team’s moves. Accordingly, he has completed more passes so far this season than any other Almería player. To date he has completed 544 passes and scored one penalty.

Wellington (Right Wing)
Games played: 8. He has played at five Spanish clubs.
A versatile player and veteran of Spanish football, having played for Real Murcia CF, SD Ponferradina, Levante UD and CD Alcoyano, the Brazilian adds a different flavour to the Almería attack. Pure electricity on the right side. If he's not on the field, his natural replacement is Jonathan Zongo, another of the side's physical specimens: fast, skilful in the one-on-one and dangerous near the area.

Thievy (Attacking Midfielder)
Games played: 9 (3 starting).
A fixture in the starting eleven in the last two matches, Thievy has emerged as a catalyst for the Andalusian side this season. And yet, until matchday six, all his appearances were off the bench. He is also one of the young talents of the Liga BBVA and he demonstrated his skill in the last game against FC Barcelona, in which he scored the first goal of the encounter and caused serious trouble for the Azulgrana defence.

Edgar (Left Wing)
Games played: 11. Shots on goal: 20. Goals:2
He is the player with the most shots on goal and the top scorer. So it comes as no surprise that the Almería boss also has a soft spot for Edgar. His two goals, both from his right boot, against Córdoba CF and RC Deportivo, earned four vital points for his team.

Tomer Hemed (Forward)
Games played: 11. Goals: 1.
Hemed is without doubt the star man up front for the Andalusians. The Israeli striker has not scored as many goals as he would have liked over these first eleven matchdays, but he has taken part in all his team’s fixtures and is aiming to become one of the goalscorers of the season after a great experience at RCD Mallorca.