LAS PALMAS – MALAGA: Today’s Soccer Prediction
As difficult as the situation of Las Palmas in the ranking of the Liga – penultimate position, with three points to be recovered to Deportivo, third-last – the arrival of the new coach has generated widespread optimism. Paco Jémez, one of the most esteemed Spanish coaches in circulation, has gained a large part of his professional experience in minor categories and in the first division with teams committed not to retreat. The recent 3-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid was preceded by an encouraging 2-1 victory against Valencia.
Towards the end of the winter market session, Las Palmas tried to complete its rose with a series of loans. The need was to find players able to cover the roles left uncovered following the numerous sales, loans and refunds (Vitolo, Lemos, Sergi Samper, Tannane, Loic Remy and others). In the last hours, Nigerian Emmanuel Emenike, former Fenerbahce and West Ham arrived on loan from Olympiacos. Another Nigerian has also arrived on loan from Feirense, much younger and more promising: the 22-year-old Oghenekaro Etebo. Play from the left wing but can also do the second tip.
After suggesting and obtaining the Cruz Azul team, the 33-year-old Gabriel Peñalba, coach Paco Jémez also managed to bring right-back Matías Aguirregaray, a twenty-eight-year-old player on loan from Club Tijuana to Gran Canaria. Both should remain stable holders until the end of the season, as well as the left wing Nacho Gil, a player with great potential that has come on loan from Valencia. In place of Mauricio Lemos, who has gone on loan to Sassuolo, Las Palmas will continue to play Alejandro Gálvez, a loaner from Eibar, in the role of central defense.
The Malaga, currently the last in the standings with one point less than Las Palmas, has so far provided limited reasons for optimism. After the exoneration of Michel, the company hired José González, a Spanish coach with past experience in the Chinese championship. Two draws came: 1-1 away against Eibar and 0-0 at home against Girona. The Malaga has at least interrupted a series of four consecutive losses. But it will serve much better to be able to obtain a salvation that at the moment – not so much for arithmetic reasons of classification as for the quality of the game expressed – seems rather unlikely.
Compared to the early season’s squad, the main players on which José González will bet are Samu Garcia, striker and outsider arrived on loan from the Levant, and the Chilean medal Manuel Iturra, who arrived free from Club Necaxa, the Mexican first division team. The median Mehdi Lacen, formerly Getafe, has also been taken free of charge. Isaac Success, a young but tremendously discontinuous Nigerian striker, arrived on loan from Watford. And another Nigerian striker, Brown Ideye, has come on loan from the Tianjin Teda reserves. Completing the list of newcomers Alberto Bueno, on loan from the Port, Maxime Lestienne, on loan from Rubin Kazan, and the central defender Ignasi Miquel, paid to Lugo about half a million and already owner.
In addition to players not very high profile, many of the new arrivals of Malaga are long-standing players or anyway lacking adequate athletic training. Tonight in Gran Canaria someone in the field from the first minute will inevitably be there, also because it is disqualified midfielder holder Chory Castro, and striker Adalberto Peñaranda is still injured.
The probable formations
LAS PALMAS (4-3-2-1): Chichizola; Michel Macedo, Ximo Navarro, Alex Galvez, Aguirregaray; Peñalba, Viera, Tana; Nacho Gil, Hernan Toledo; Calleri.
MALAGA (4-4-2): Roberto Jimenez; Rosales, Luis Hernandez, Ignasi Miquel, Federico Ricca; Recio, Iturra, Samu Garcia, Keko Gontan; Adrian Gonzalez, Ideye.
Today’s Prediction: 2-1
Odds: 1.72
