Good spirits and a positive atmosphere are beginning to emerge around Real Zaragoza and its squad. To celebrate captain Tachi's birthday, the team gathered for dinner to show that the dressing room is united.
Edu Espiau has not trained with Real Zaragoza for a second consecutive day. The striker, the team’s only goalscorer this season, is now expected to miss the match in Torremolinos.
The third round of Primera RFEF kicks off this Friday, with the competition's three Aragonese teams looking for positive results to climb the standings. Real Zaragoza, who secured a much-needed and dramatic victory against Antequera in their last match, want to earn their first points away from home at Juventud de Torremolinos. S.D. Huesca and Teruel, meanwhile, aim to turn their home grounds into fortresses against Villarreal B and Real Jaén, respectively.
As in their latest win over Antequera at Ibercaja Estadio, Real Zaragoza will again be refereed by a debutant in their next match: Joaquín Béjar Caballero. The referee from the Murcia committee will make his debut this Sunday in Spain’s third tier when the Aragonese side face Juventud de Torremolinos at El Pozuelo Stadium at 4 p.m.
Torremolinos are eager to return to El Pozuelo and play at home against Real Zaragoza. “Eagerly,” said one of their star signings, Julian Brandes, who came through Ajax’s academy. He played one match for them as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid Castilla.
Javier Berdejo continues to take giant strides. The young Real Zaragoza centre-back is one of the club’s top academy prospects and, in another sign of his promising future, the 16-year-old defender has been called up by Spain’s U-17 team for a training camp at the start of the season.
El Pozuelo Stadium is set to host Juventud de Torremolinos' first home game this weekend against Real Zaragoza, who travel to Andalusia in need of victories.
Real Zaragoza held another training session this Thursday at its Ciudad Deportiva, with the ball at the center of attention. Edu Espiau, scorer in the 1-0 win over Antequera, was the first absence of the week. He trained separately from the team as part of the season’s first instance of “workload management.” If that is the case, it is specialized work lasting one day, meaning he should return to normal training this Friday.
Away tickets are now on sale for the Juventud de Torremolinos–Real Zaragoza match. Blanquillos fans have already begun buying them for €20. They have been allocated the North Stand at El Pozuelo, with capacity for 123 supporters, out of the stadium’s 3,000 seats.
One of the key figures in Real Zaragoza’s 1-0 win over Antequera was goalkeeper Sem Westerveld. The Dutchman is now settled in the Aragonese capital and at the club he represents. “Real Zaragoza are much bigger than I expected,” he said.
Sem Westerveld’s arrival at Real Zaragoza has not been easy, but things are starting to fall into place thanks in part to goalkeeping coach Javi Roda. The goalkeeper said at a press conference on Wednesday that he is now fully settled. “The first weeks were tough, and now I’m happy,” he said.
After Real Zaragoza's first Primera RFEF win against Antequera, fans will have the chance to meet one of the victory's key contributors, Rubén Iranzo, who played the entire match, as well as Yussif Saidu, at a Meet & Greet this Wednesday at the club's official store on Calle Alfonso I.
After Ander Herrera's missed penalty, Real Zaragoza must decide who will take spot kicks. The current captain is not an expert, as he showed. Looking back, two players stand out for their perfect records in the second division with the club: Mario Soberón and Dani Gómez.
Real Zaragoza continues to invest in its academy by renewing goalkeeper Marcos Manolache for five seasons. The 18-year-old has signed a contract through 2031, with the club keen to secure his services. This season, he has been training with the first team as the club's third-choice goalkeeper.
Only the world's best players and coaches attend the Ballon d'Or gala organized by French magazine France Football, and former Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has become a regular at these events. The Moroccan goalkeeper has been among the nominees for the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the world's best goalkeeper, for several editions.
The RFEF announced the schedule for Matchday 6 of Primera Federación on Tuesday afternoon, meaning Real Zaragoza now knows when it will host C.D. Teruel at Ibercaja Estadio: the match will be played on Sunday, October 4, at 9:00 p.m.
After two days off following their first agonising Primera RFEF win against Antequera, Real Zaragoza returned to training on Tuesday to prepare for Sunday’s visit to El Pozuelo, one of the smallest and most challenging grounds in the division, where Juventud de Torremolinos play.
Real Zaragoza's first win of the season brought several positive developments, including Ibai Gómez's first victory as coach and Diego González's inclusion in the Primera RFEF Team of the Week for Matchday 2.
Real Zaragoza's first two matches have also surprised with their distribution of playing time. Several candidates for the starting lineup have been relegated to the background, while players who initially had chances of leaving have featured in almost every minute. The analysis is extensive.
The second Real Zaragoza academy graduate signed by Getafe this summer has now made his official debut. Iván Azón has played in La Liga after featuring in Getafe’s 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo.
