Elche and UD Las Palmas meet this Sunday in a Copa del Rey morning match where both teams, after the Christmas break, measure the strength of the positive streaks they closed in 2024 in search of a place in the round of 16
Elche has not known defeat since November 8 and has accumulated three draws and four wins in the League, a streak that has put it in fourth position and, therefore, in the promotion zone, something that has strengthened the team’s confidence and the euphoria of the environment.
The Elche team is aware of the island team’s theoretical superiority, which has improved since the arrival of Diego Martínez on its bench, although it hopes to use the field factor to decide the tie and defeat a First Division rival in the tournament for the first time for two decades.
Elche coach Eder Sarabia only has striker Óscar Plano missing for this match, who recently underwent surgery for a muscle injury.
Sarabia did not rule out a return to the usual rounds in the Cup, although it is possible this time with fewer numbers than in previous qualifications, as the team will have a week to prepare for its next match.
San Román’s presence in the goal is certain, while players with few minutes or recovering from injuries, such as Carlos Clerc, John Chetauya or Elbasan Rashani, may also have their chance.
The match against Las Palmas is special for the coach and the players Pedro Bigas and Sory Kaba, who have a past in the Canarian team, as well as for the center back Álex Martín, a native of the island.
UD Las Palmas will start the new year with a fascinating cup clash at the Martínez Valero stadium against Elche, and the aim is to extend the good dynamics with which it ended in 2024.
The yellow team hopes that the Christmas break will not affect them to prolong the good performance they have offered since the arrival of Diego Martínez on their bench.
After losing the two previous rounds to Ontiñena (0-7), from the Aragonese regional category, and Europe (1-2), from the Second Federation, the island team now faces a contender for promotion to the highest category ; In fact, the Galician coach himself said that the match “could absolutely be a First Division match”.
Martínez cannot count on right back Viti Rozada, midfielder Dário Essugo and forward Oliver McBurnie, who are suffering from a viral process, while Pejiño and Sandro Ramírez did not complete training on Friday with the rest of their teammates.
It is likely that the Vigo coach will give minutes to the less common players in the league competition, as he did in the two previous qualifiers, also thinking about the next match on Sunday at the Gran Canaria Stadium against Getafe, a direct rival for permanence. . in LaLiga EA Sports.
Furthermore, the outcome of this cup round depends on the movement of departures in the current January market, because if the yellow team is eliminated, some players may be eliminated and not face a competition until end of the season with a squad that is too big as the president of the entity, Miguel Ángel Ramírez, announced weeks ago.
Possible lineups:
Elche: Sam Roman; Núñez, Affengruber, Rice, Clerc; Josan, John Chetauya, Febas, Yago de Santiago, Nico Fernández and Agustín Álvarez.
UD Las Palmas: Horkas; Marvin Park, Herzog, Álex Muñoz, Benito Ramírez; Loiodice, Campaign; Januzaj, Manu Fuster, Marc Cardona; and Jaime Mata.
Referee: Munuera Montero (Andalusian Committee).
Field: Martínez Valero.
Time: 12:00.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
