Almeriavs.Leganes

The hosts pulled off an upset against Sevilla to seal their spot in the last 16, while the visitors dispatched Cartagena to continue their cup journey.

Match preview

Almeria are set to compete in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey for the time in five years after negotiating their way through three rounds of action.

After dispatching SS Reyes and Cultural Leonesa in the first two rounds, Almeria went on to produce an impressive display to stun top-flight Sevilla in last week's cup tie at the UD Almeria Stadium.

Marko Milanovic scored in the opening stages of the second period to cancel out Isaac Romero's early opener, before Luis Suarez netted a hat-trick to fire Almeria to a memorable 4-1 victory.

After beating one fellow Andalusian side in the cup, Almeria got the better of another team from Spain's southernmost region, with Suarez, Leo Baptistao and Nico Melamed all finding the net in a 3-0 league win over Cordoba, extending their unbeaten run to 16 matches in all competitions (W13, D3).

As a result of Sunday's win, Almeria are now sitting three points clear at the top of the Segunda Division table, putting them in a strong position to win promotion straight back to La Liga after suffering relegation last term.

Rubi's side will put their promotion bid back on hold for Wednesday's cup fixture, and they will fancy their chances of getting the better of Leganes, especially as they have seven of their last eight home games (D1).

While Almeria are looking to return to the top flight, Leganes are currently fighting to avoid an immediate return to the second tier after winning promotion as the Segunda Division champions last season.

Leganes played out a 1-1 draw against relegation rivals Espanyol on Saturday, with Seydouba Cissa scoring in a second straight league game to cancel out Leandro Cabrera's opener.

As a result of that draw, Borja Jimenez's side are left sitting in 16th position with a three-point buffer to the relegation zone at the halfway mark of their top-flight campaign.

Leganes will now turn their attention to Wednesday's Copa del Rey tie, with the visitors competing in the last 16 for the first time in five years after navigating their way through the first three rounds.

After edging out Cuidad de Lucena, Leganes required penalties to get the better of fourth-tier Estepona in the second round, before they came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory in last week's cup tie with Segunda Division outfit Cartagena.

With Leganes looking to reach the last eight for the first time since 2017-18, they may be able to draw inspiration from the fact they have gone five competitive away games without defeat - a run which includes an unforgettable 1-0 league win over Barcelona in December.

Almeria Copa del Rey form:

W

W

W

Almeria form (all competitions):

D

W

W

D

W

W

Leganes Copa del Rey form:

W

W

W

Leganes form (all competitions):

W

L

W

L

W

D

Team News

Almeria head coach Rubi is expected to be without the midfield duo of Iddrisu Baba and Gui Guedes due to injury.

Gonzalo Melero is set to return to the Almeria midfielder after serving a one-match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Suarez will continue to one one of the home side's main attacking threats, having scored eight goals in his last four appearances, including hat-tricks in the previous two rounds of the Copa del Rey.

As for the visitors, Enrique Franquesa remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury, while Julian Chicco is a doubt due to a muscle problem.

Midfielder Yvan Neyou and winger Dani Raba will have to be assessed after they were forced off in the 1-1 draw with Espanyol.

Defender Jorge Saenz is set to come back into the starting lineup after missing Saturday's league outing through suspension.

Almeria possible starting lineup:

Maximiano; Pubill, Chumi, Gonzalez, Langa; Lopy, Melero; Pozo, Suarez, Melamed; Baptistao

Leganes possible starting lineup:

Soriano; Rosier, Gonzalez, Saenz, Nastasic, Hernandez; Munir, Brasanac, Cisse, Cruz; De la Fuente

We say: Almeria 2-1 Leganes

Almeria may be competing in the league below Leganes, but in truth, there is little to choose between the two sides, with the hosts flying at the top of Segunda and the visitors currently battling to remain in La Liga.

Written by

Ben Sully

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