Granada vs Celta preview - Anquela eager to secure first triumph

Posted Sunday, September 30, 2012 by PA

Granada manager Juan Antonio Anquela has admitted that he is feeling the pressure to get off the mark after going without a win in his first five games in charge.

The Andalusians currently sit third from bottom, but after a tough start, including trips to Real Madrid and Barcelona, Anquela has targeted the three points against newly-promoted Celta.

He told Marca: "I don't like to speak of finals, there are many matches left, but this team needs points and we have to go looking for them. Granada has to demand to win against any opponent because this is why we are in this division."

However, Anquela is also wary of Celta's new attacking trio of Michael Kronh-Dehli, Park Chu-Young and Augusto Fernandez who were instrumental in their 2-1 win over Getafe last weekend.

"Celta are a very good team. They are quick, they play good football and they are very compact when they don't have the ball. They maintained the bulk of the squad from the Segunda last season and the singings are giving a more than acceptable level of performance," he said.

Anquela will again be without the services of Fran Rico, Odion Ighalo and Manuel Lucena but Floro Flores has shrugged off a slight knock and will take his place up front.

This match carries just as much significance for Celta though as Granada eliminated their opponents this weekend on penalties in the Segunda Division playoffs at the end of the 2010/11 season, but striker Iago Aspas claims they will not be inspired by revenge when they travel to Nuevo Los Carmenes.

He told AS: "It is not a question of revenge. It is true that there were things that day that we didn't like, but we lost because of ourselves. Now we are both in the Primera and it is a special game because we are meeting again after all that we lived through. That game brings back many memories. It was a very hard blow for the club but now it belongs to the past."

Park may be handed his first start since joining on-loan from Arsenal after scoring the winner last weekend, but otherwise manager Paco Herrera seems set to go with the same side that defeated Getafe.