Racing Santander vs Villarreal Match Preview
Midweek's victory over Napoli gave Villarreal an injection of energy, and Juan Carlos Garrido's Submarines look forward to take advantage of the momentum granted as they visit El Sardinero on Sunday's evening. It's been over four years since Racing lastly defeated Villarreal in the Primera Division.
Let's not forget Villarreal has not been able to celebrate a single victory in La Liga in the last three weeks. Racing will be a tough nut to crack for Villarreal, especially keeping in mind that Marcos Senna and Bruno Soriano are both ruled out due to injuries. Borja Valero and Marcos Gullon will have to grow as the leaders of the midfield to feed Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi with enough goal scoring-opportunities to secure the game.
Racing's new coach Marcelino García Toral seems to understand the situation his Montañeses are going through, having celebrated two consecutive victories in his first two games with Racing Santander. He'll have to do without Gonzalo Colsa, Oscar Serrano and Alexandros Tziolis, but Pedro Munitis and Giovanni Dos Santos will be ready to build the attack along with Markus Rosemberg.
Villarreal wants to recover his place as the third alternative to Barcelona and Real Madrid's leadership, while Racing looks forward to bag three vital points for the relegation fight. Who'll succeed?