Real Zaragoza were unlucky to lose at El Madrigal last weekend, but the good performance against Villarreal will definitely give them something to build on before the crucial game with Almeria. The visitors are seven points adrift of safety after losing four games in a row and don’t have much to hope for at La Romareda.

Home games are the key

Everyone can see that a side like Real Zaragoza don’t deserve to be involved in the relegation fight, but that’s just how things stand at the moment. The main reason for the poor league position is team’s dismal away form and the fact that los Manos have won just one out of 16 away games, while losing five out of last six. However, team’s showings at their La Romareda are another story, with six wins in last eight games the main reason why Zaragoza still have a good chance to survive this season. Javier Aguirre’s side have shown a lot of promise in last week’s clash with Villarreal, which should serve as a confidence boost before the game against Almeria, arguably the weakest side in the division. Real Zaragoza have enough quality to take advantage of the poor state Almeria are in, while the support from the stands should help make the job easier.

Coach Javier Aguirre has no new injury worries, meaning that he will have full squad to choose from.

Almeria rock bottom

Before the season started Almeria were not seen as one of the candidates for the drop, but as the league campaign unfolded it was becoming evident that the Andalusians would have problems surviving this season. Apart from occasional victories that were immediately followed by a new defeat, Almeria couldn’t do anything and after four successive defeats they are tied to the bottom of the standings. With just six more rounds to go, Roberto Olabe’s side sit no less than seven points adrift of safety, so we can already say that Almeria will be playing their football in Segunda next term. On paper, Almeria don’t have such a bad team, but Roberto Olabe and his predecessors have failed in creating a good team spirit that is essential for surviving a season and the Andalusians now look destined for the drop.

With Diego Alves and Sofiane Feghouli returning to the side, Roberto Olabe will have full squad to choose from, but that is unlikely to help the visitors avoid defeat at La Romareda.

Verdict

Real Zaragoza have been very convincing at their La Romareda and they definitely have what it takes to beat out-of-form Almeria. The visitors are completely low on confidence and if they concede a goal here they won’t be able to return into the game. Therefore, we can even expect a big home win.

Our prediction: Real Zaragoza with -0.75 Asian handicap

Odds: 2.08 (27/25)

Bookmaker: 188BET