Eibar vs Getafe preview - New boss braced for tough return

Posted Saturday, January 10, 2015 by PA

Getafe coach Quique Sanchez Flores is expecting a difficult first Primera Division game back in charge of the Madrid side against Eibar, whom he believes "have very few weak points".

Sanchez Flores took charge of his first Getafe game since 2005 on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 at Almeria in the first leg of their Copa Del Rey last-16 tie.

Although his first league game since succeeding Cosmin Contra comes against a side with one of the smallest budgets in the division, the coach knows his side could struggle when they visit the Basques.

"They are a strong team, we know all we need to know about Eibar," the coach said at a press conference.

"They have very few weak points and they are going to make things difficult for us. They have very strong team spirit at the moment and, although they only have a limited number of ways of playing, they are good at all of them.

"They know what they need to do and that makes things difficult for their opponents. Let's hope we can get our game plan right and play well enough to get some points."

Getafe lost their last match under Contra 2-1 to Rayo Vallecano, leaving them just three points above the relegation zone, while Eibar won 2-1 at Espanyol to move up to eighth in the table.

Despite his team's struggles, Sanchez Flores does not want to radically alter their style of play.

"We are thinking about what we can and can't do," he said.

"I don't want to try and get the team to do difficult things that, due to a lack of understanding, will put our results at risk.

"This is quite a natural succession. There are some things that the previous coach did which have served the team well and given us stability. But we'll try to introduce a few variants.

"We're playing against a very difficult team who have made an extraordinary transition after promotion."

Sergio Escudero is set to return for Getafe after recovering from a hip problem, but new signings Juan Cala and Fernando Aristeguieta have not been registered in time for the match and goalkeeper Vicente Guaita is out with a knee complaint.

Eibar are not expected to field Raul Albentosa, who is reported to be close to joining Derby in the English second tier, but striker and captain Mikel Arruabarrena will lead the attack after missing the win at Espanyol due to suspension.