The Blue-and-Whites come into the match after a narrow, hard-fought 1-0 win over Antequera, secured by Edu Espiau's goal in the 90th minute. The striker, however, will not travel to Málaga due to muscle discomfort and has missed the last three training sessions. The Aragonese side currently sit 13th in the table with three points, and a win would allow them to climb several places and move away from the bottom of the standings.
Espiau will be the only absentee for this match. Photo: Pilar Álvarez
It is worth remembering that in their opening match away to Nàstic de Tarragona, things did not go well, with the hosts winning 2-0 because Real Zaragoza lacked strength in both boxes. That is an issue that must be corrected if they are to compete for automatic promotion.
There should not be many changes to the starting lineup from the last match. It remains to be seen whether Sangalli starts at right-back and whether Pereira gets the nod over Escudero on the other flank. Jardí is also likely to start on the right wing, while Cuenca could drop out of the lineup after Vadillo's strong performance against Antequera.
One area for improvement is finishing. Real Zaragoza have scored just one goal in 180 minutes despite taking more than 50 shots across their two matches. Their lack of accuracy is one of the shortcomings of a team that creates chances but fails to convert them, and the match against Torremolinos could provide the first opportunity to urgently address that problem.
THE OPPONENT OPENS ITS HOME GROUND
El Pozuelo will officially open with Real Zaragoza as the honorary visitors to the Málaga-based ground. César Arzo's team have had to play their first two matches away from home because of work that needed to be carried out at their stadium.
Coach Ibai Gómez said the Andalusian side's ground should not be an excuse, although he did note that the pitch's limited width could make it harder for the Aragonese side to play the combination football they seek. El Pozuelo is notable for being the smallest ground in the entire division, a factor the Blue-and-Whites will have to take into account.
The Andalusians have collected one point from a possible six after losing 2-0 to Real Madrid Castilla and drawing 2-2 with Atlético Madrileño on the opening matchday. They currently occupy the position that defines safety in the division, so they will give everything in their home debut to claim all three points in front of their supporters.
