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European Football
Preview - 31 Oct 2007
More away day
blues for Zaragoza
Almeria should be backed off a level ball handicap to see off
poor travellers Real Zaragoza on Wednesday night. The sad statistic
for Victor Fernandez' side is that they haven't won away from La
Romareda since the beginning of February - their only away day
success this calendar year.
There has been some friction in the Zaragoza camp recently, which
resulted in Argentinean playmakers Pablo Aimar and Andres
D'alessandro both being dropped for the Villarreal game on Sunday.
The upshot of Fernandez' bold move was a 4-1 thrashing of
high-flying Villarreal. However, it's a score line which the layers
appear to be reading too much into, as the margin of victory was
flattering. Impressive performances against top opposition are all
too often followed by poor showings on the road. One example earlier
in the year was the turgid defeat in Tarragona, just seven days
after humbling Barcelona.
Newly-promoted Almeria have given a good account of themselves so
far this season. Unai Emery's men were far from disgraced at the Nou
Camp on Sunday. In fact, they were well in the game until a
typically dodgy Nou Camp penalty broke their staunch resistance in
the 81st minute. It was an even better showing at The Bernabau
earlier in the season that gained the new boys some plaudits, as
they outplayed their high-profile opponents on the way to an
unfortunate 3-1 defeat. A side tipped for relegation by most
observers before the season begun, Almeria have surprised many with
their pacy, attacking football. Ex-Racing midfielder Melo is so
often the architect of their best moves, while the likes of Crusat,
Ortiz and highly-rated striker Negredo have all made a good
impression. Emery will be looking for three points here, which would
see them leapfrog Zaragoza in the table.
While Almeria have no new injury worries, Zaragoza have been hit
by the loss of the influential Roberto Ayala. Captain Carlos
Cuartero is also sidelined, while another defender, Franciso Pavon,
looks set to miss out after his red card against Villarreal. With
the likes of Aimar, Matuzalem and JuanFran all unavailable,
Fernandez has had to call up four players from the reserve squad to
make up the numbers.
Take plucky Almieria to overcome a poor-travelling Zaragoza side,
that look severely weakened by defensive injuries.
Almeria v Real Zaragoza. Wednesday 19:00.
Recommendation: 4 pts Almeria
Draw No Bet @ 1.975. Bet 365.
Ilunga
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