Having pulled away from the drop zone decisively around this time last year, Zaragoza are in the midst of repeating the trick under the stewardship of Javier Aguirre, whose side have enjoyed a fine January and are moving clear of immediate danger. Racing Santander are not a team who will go down easily, though los Manos approach the weekend fixture with real hopes of three points.
Just as the panic button was about to be pressed at la Romareda, the Aragon club have found their form. January brought with it five league fixtures, four of which were won by Zaragoza, and the other of which ended in defeat away to Champions League chasing Espanyol. Now five points clear of the relegation zone, Zaragoza’s position looks healthier, but they are by no means safe.
This has been recognised by the squad, who will treat the weekend’s game against a positional rival with the utmost severity. “We know what is at stake but with the confidence that we individually and collectively have, we will try to play a complete game in which we must jump onto the field at 200 per cent,” striker Florent Sinama-Pongolle explained to Marca in midweek.
Over the four weeks, los Manos have more than doubled their points tally for the previous four months, but their margins remain slim. They’ve yet to win a game by more than a solitary goal this season, so focus at all times will be essential.
Liven Up The Attack
Racing Santander are not opponents who should be considered easy to dispatch. Against Barcelona in Primera Division action earlier this month, they gave a pretty good account of themselves, despite going down 3-0, and just last weekend they matched Valencia sufficiently to earn a 1-1 draw.
Los Verdiblancos were starved of possession for long periods of that game but opened the scoring through Ariel in the first half. In a dramatic concluding chapter to the fixture, Tino Costa levelled for the hosts before both teams had players dismissed in stoppage time – Mehdi Lacen the home player to be dismissed.
“There was a foul in Valencia’s goal,” coach Miguel Angel Portugal grumbled to the media after the game, though he was pleased with the showing of his side. “Overall, we played well. We had a good attitude in the first half and also in the second.”
Though there would be no return of Nikola Zigic on loan to los Racinguistas, the club were active in the final days of the transfer market, snapping up former Barcelona forward Giovani Dos Santos to augment an attack that has been pretty feeble for much of this season. Mustering significantly under a goal a game, Racing have to push that figure up if they’re to secure comfortable safety.
TEAM NEWS
Zaragoza
Ikechuwku Uche is back training with the squad after a succession of knee problems, while Paulo da Silva could debut.
Victor Laguardia remains a long-term concern.
Racing
Markus Rosenberg is suspended, but Mehdi Lacen’s two-match suspension has been quashed and he should feature from the outset. Alexandros Tziolis, Oscar Serrano and Papa Kouli Diop are long-term issues.
Prediction
Crucially, momentum and home advantage is with Zaragoza, and it would be a real blow to the Aragon side if they failed to make it count. Expect to see Javier Aguirre’s side edge Racing Santander into more problems, though a close match is in prospect.
Zaragoza 2-1 Racing 
