At this point, the midfielders who had established themselves as key players for Real Zaragoza were Ademo and Lucas Terrer. Both had been putting in strong performances. However, the academy graduate was scarcely involved against Real Murcia, while the Nigerian was sent off in that same match against the Murcia side. Naturally, they will not be able to play together.
So, if Ibai keeps Terrer in the team, he will have to choose between Ander Herrera and Saidu. However, the former does not seem to fit completely with the young academy player. Evidence of this is that, whenever they have played together, Real Zaragoza have failed to click. This happened against Nástic de Tarragona, a match they lost 2-0, and against Antequera, which they won 1-0 thanks to a last-minute goal.
Peter Ademo, during his presentation as a Real Zaragoza player
However, pairing Terrer with Saidu would mean handing the Ghanaian his first start of the season. So far, the African midfielder has played five matches, all of them as a substitute.
Within the logic of a double pivot, the third option would be to pair Saidu with Ander Herrera. It remains to be seen how the experiment works out.
FACTORS TO CONSIDER
The pitch at Can Dragó is very small. The setting does not seem ideal for pairing players whose game is based more on technique than football, such as Ander Herrera and Lucas Terrer. In addition, the condition of the grass remains unknown as of Wednesday, with barely two days left before the match.
However, Saidu has not been trusted with a starting role so far. So Ibai Gómez has a small headache to solve here. Three players are competing for two midfield positions at Real Zaragoza.
The match is scheduled to be played this Friday at 21:15 at Can Dragó. By then, Real Zaragoza must have this headache more than resolved…
