Villarreal is going through its worst moment in Marcelino’s second stage at the head of the team. The yellow submarine has accumulated five games without winning, four of them in the League, in addition to the painful elimination in the Copa del Rey against Pontevedra. This streak has generated despair in a fan base that has not seen its team triumph for more than a month. However, this Wednesday there is a new opportunity to break the negative dynamic when the ‘groguet’ team receives Rayo Vallecano at 9:30 p.m.
The match will be conditioned by the numerous casualties that have marked Villarreal’s start to the season. Marcelino will not be able to count on nine players, including six regular injuries and three suspended: Álex Baena, Dani Parejo and Kiko Femenía, all due to an accumulation of yellow cards. As a counterpart, the coach recovers Santi Comesaña, who returns after serving a suspension, and Logan Costa. Given so many absences, Marcelino will once again turn to the reserves to complete the squad, including the usual players Pau Navarro and Pau Cabanes, as well as Thiago Ojeda, Rubén Gómez and Etta Eyong.
The Asturian coach has identified the lack of effectiveness in both areas as one of the team’s main problems. Despite this, Marcelino insists that this is the ideal time to react and say goodbye to the year with a victory in front of his fans at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Furthermore, he wanted to reduce the drama of the qualifying situation, remembering that “if we add the two fewer games we have, we would be one point behind Athletic. “We have to win them and they are two complicated games, but we have two games less.”
The clash against Rayo Vallecano will be decisive not only to close the year with good feelings, but also to regain the confidence of a team and fans who need to rediscover victory.
