Espanyol will seek to extend the joy in the KO tournament after the draw in the Barcelona derby
The Galician team, like the blue and whites, is not having a good time in LaLiga either
The Spanish put aside the good feelings of the draw against Barcelona at the Spotify Camp Nou (1-1) and gather momentum now for the game of round of 32 Copa del Rey against Celtawho will visit the RCDE Stadium this Tuesday (7:00 p.m.).
The Catalan team arrives in a good state of mind after the derby, but is aware that His situation in LaLiga is delicate and that the Cup is something else. Until now, the blue and whites have had a KO tournament relatively affordable and the Galician team is, by category, the most complex rival they will have faced. Will be the only match of the cup round with two First Division teams.
Managing the wear and tear of the squad is one of the difficulties of this commitment for the coach, diego martinez. After playing the derby on December 31, they face Celta on Tuesday, January 3 and against Girona on Saturday the 7th, a key duel to get out of the bottom of the table. Rotation seems inevitable.
The blue and white coach will not give out the squad list until the day of the match, so there may be surprises in the lineup. The injured Keidi Bare and Pedrosa are safe casualties.
Crosses between Espanyol and Celta are common in the Copa del Rey. The last precedent between the two teams in this competition was in the 2011-12 campaign, also in the round of 32. The result was a tie (0-0) in Balaídos, but the Catalans went through to the next round by their 4-2 victory at the RCDE Stadium.
The blue and white fiefdom, according to statistics, It is not a particularly placid setting for Galicians. In his last ten visits, among all competitions, the balance is favorable to the parakeets with a total of six wins, three draws and one loss.
Same situation in the league.
Celta faces the tie with their minds set on the “final& rdquor; that he awaits him three days later in the Martinez valerowhere he visits the LaLiga bottom team, an Elche that still hasn’t won in this league course.
The Cup is always a tournament that excites Celtic, and more so in a year in which it celebrates its centenary. The Portuguese coach knows it Carlos Carvalhal and also the staff, led by a Iago Aspas who pursues his dream of lifting a title with Celta.
However, the delicate qualifying situation of the team, seventeenth with a single point advantage over the relegation zone, On this occasion, it forces them to prioritize LaLiga, since a setback against Elche would turn on the alarm lights in Balaídos.
The Celtic chains eight days without winning. His last league victory was celebrated three months ago against Betisin a match in which the Argentine goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin prevented the Verdiblanco team from drawing.
Carvalhal will make rotations in his eleven. Soccer players like Kevin Vázquez, Óscar Rodríguez, Carles Pérez, Renato Tapia or Gonzalo Paciencia will have an opportunity to vindicate himself against a First Division rival.
Probable lineups:
Spanish: Joan Garcia; Rubén Sánchez, Calero/Cabrera, César Montes, Brian Oliván; Foundling, Vini Souza, Darder; Aleix Vidal, Puado and Braithwaite.
Celtic: Ivan Villar; Kevin Vázquez, Aidoo, Mingueza, Unai, Javi Galán; Tapia, Óscar Rodríguez, Carles Pérez; Luca de la Torre and Patience.
Referee: Martínez Munuera (Valencian Committee).
Stadium: RCDE Stadium.
Time: 7:00 p.m.