The Nova Creu Alta will be dressed up to host the first match of the season for CE Sabadell against UD Almería, a team with high promotion ambitions. The game will take place this Saturday at 5 PM. This return to professional football as a home team comes eleven years after the last match played in the division.
The Arlequinat coach, Ferran Costa, highlighted the emotional importance of playing at the 'Temple', a generator of memories and with special strength. He stressed the need to experience the match together with the fans to avoid a long absence from professional football. The first team has already trained on the new pitch, which the coach considers to be in very good condition despite the short adaptation time.
Centre d'Esports arrives at the match with two points, the result of two away draws (0-0 against Real Sporting and CD Castellón). Costa defended the team's good work, highlighting ball recovery, clear chance creation, and heading and shooting ability, while acknowledging that scoring goals is a pending issue. The team will be without injured players Alain Ribeiro, López-Pinto, and Genar Fornés, nor Edgar González due to a contract clause. Gonzalo ‘Pipa’ is included in the squad.
UD Almería, one of the main promotion candidates, finished third last season and lost in the play-off final. They retain a large part of their squad, awaiting the future of top scorer Sergio Arribas. On the bench, Xavier García Pimienta, with Marc Cabestany as assistant coach, replaces Francesc Ferrer ‘Rubi’. The Andalusian team started with a thrashing but lost last week. Costa acknowledges the importance of the Andalusian project but states that the team has no fear and will compete to win.
In terms of head-to-head records, CE Sabadell and UD Almería have faced each other six times, with two home wins, one draw, and three victories for Almería. At the Nova Creu Alta, Sabadell has won twice and lost once, precisely in their last encounter (1-2) in the 20-21 season.
