BARCELONA, 17 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Athletic Club will defend its European place this Tuesday in the tenth day of LaLiga Santander in its visit to the hesitant Getafe, threatened among others by a Valencia that will live one of the attractive duels against a Sevilla improved with the ‘Sampaoli effect’.
The frenetic schedule prior to the World Cup in Qatar leaves the teams without time to rest to face their duels in the domestic competition. Now, Ernesto Valverde’s man will seek to recover from the narrow defeat last Saturday against a direct rival like Atlético de Madrid, which deprived him of third place.
A stumbling block that they will have to digest now at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, where they play to continue among the favorites for the fight for the noble positions of the table. In fact, the ‘Leones’, after two consecutive games without winning since they drew against Sevilla, have dropped to sixth position, also surpassed by Betis and Real Sociedad, so they need the three points to not give up any more against five of the six teams that are contesting this campaign in continental competitions.
In front, Quique Sánchez Flores’ men will seek to add to get away from a relegation that borders on a point of difference. The ‘azulón’ team accepted a goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano. A good point to leave behind their two consecutive defeats against Valladolid and Real Madrid, but they don’t finish giving them confidence.
However, Athletic is one of the three teams that remains undefeated this season away from home, so David Soria will try to become a ‘wall’ again with his stops, while Borja Mayoral and Enes Ünal want to monopolize a lost protagonism in the last days.
Dani Vivian, in the center of the defense, and Dani García, in the midfield, could be two of Ernesto Valverde’s options to refresh his eleven, while Sánchez Flores continues to doubt the Uruguayan Mauro Arambarri and recovers Munir.
For its part, Valencia is eager to continue in the fight for continental places in the duel that opens the day at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán (7:00 p.m.) against an improved Sevilla and that will be planted in a good dynamic endorsed by its necessary victory in Palma from Majorca.
The Seville team has not known defeat since the Argentine took charge of his bench and the third time was the charm and after two draws to achieve three points that took his team out of relegation.
The Andalusian team improved, but without going crazy, supported by Bono’s saves and victorious, most importantly, with a shot by Nemanja Gudelj from 30 meters in the 53rd minute. An ascent that they will try to prolong in front of their fans in a duel of altitude, before traveling next Saturday to the Santiago Bernabéu. Two games that can confirm his ‘resurrection’ on time and before the break for the World Cup in Qatar.
On the other hand, Valencia was unable to overcome bottom side Elche on Saturday, although it ended up earning a draw, with arbitration controversy included, in what was Edinson Cavani’s first great afternoon in LaLiga.
‘El Matador’ opened his goalscoring account as a Valencianista with a double, although he ended up ‘touched’ on an ankle and his participation is not certain to increase the streak of his team, which has not lost since September 10 against Rayo Vallecano. More than a month undefeated, which has allowed him to climb positions, although fighting for Europe means beating a direct rival and in a stadium where he has lost in his last three visits and that historically he is not very good at.
Sampaoli continues without being able to count on Rekic and Fernando, in addition to ‘Tecatito’ Corona, and it seems that he will continue betting on the rotations in his eleven, while Gattuso, in addition to Cavani’s physical condition, cannot count on Samu Castillejo to form an eleven which could also be renovated.
-Tuesday, October 18.
Seville FC-Valencia CF. Soto Grado (C.Riojano) 19.00.
Getafe-Athletic Club. Munuera Montero (C.Andaluz) 20.00.
Atletico – Rayo Vallecano. Villanueva Churches (C.Callego) 21.00.
-Wednesday 19.
Cadiz CF – Real Betis. Mateu Lahoz (C.Valenciano) 19.00.
Real Valladolid – Celtic. Pizarro Gómez (C. Madrid) 19.00.
Royal Society – RCD Majorca. Ortiz Arias (C. Madrid) 20.00.
Elche CF – Real Madrid. Gil Manzano (C.Extremeño) 21.00.
-Thursday 20.
UD Almeria – Girona FC. Cuadra Fernández (Balearic C.) 19.00.
CA Osasuna – RCD Espanyol. Melero López (C. Andaluz) 20.00.
FC Barcelona – Villarreal CF. From Cerro Grande (C. Madrid) 21.00.
