Granada CF vs Villarreal preview - Marcelino focused despite injuries

Posted Saturday, September 13, 2014 by PA

Villarreal coach Marcelino insists his team cannot afford to dwell on their mounting injury problems, declaring "now is not the time to cry about absentees".

Forward Giovani dos Santos tore his hamstring while on international duty with Mexico and will be out for at least a month, while full-back Jaume Costa sustained a torn calf muscle during training on Thursday and has also been ruled out of action for four weeks.

The injury to Costa means Marcelino will have to look to 17-year-old Adrian Marin for cover in defence against Granada on Sunday as Bjoan Jokic, the team's second choice left-back, will not be back until next year following a knee operation.

"Injuries happen in football and now they are happening to us," Marcelino told a press conference.

"They impose limits on us in certain positions but we have to keep looking forward. Marin will play (against Granada). In other circumstances it would seem like a hurried decision, but right now it's the best option."

The coach also conceded that Nigerian forward Ikechukwu Uche was unlikely to recover in time from a muscle strain, and explained that two of Luciano Vietto, Denis Cheryshev or Gerard Moreno could start in attack in Granada in place of Uche and Dos Santos.

Granada's only expected absentee for the game is striker Youssef El Arabi, who is nursing a muscle strain.

Referring specifically to the game with Granada, Marcelino warned that Joaquin Caparros' side "give away very few chances" and said he was keen to exact revenge for the 2-0 defeat his team suffered in the Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium last season.

"We remember last season's game well where they beat us easily and so we are hopeful of making amends for what happened," he said.

"Granada is a difficult place to go and often make things hard for Villarreal, but there's no reason for that, sometimes you go somewhere you often lose and win, but there's no explanation for it."