Date: Sunday 29th August 17:30
Competition: Primera RFEF Grupo II
Venue: Estadio Municipal de La Línea
Author: Les McKee
It is often said in football “Play the game, not the occasion”. On Sunday it will be important that Balona play the game and not the crest on the opposition’s shirt, as they will be faced with one of the world’s most recognisable club badges, the colossal Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Castilla are the visitors for the opening game in Primera RFEF. A team made up of players who just a year ago were crowned UEFA Youth League Champions.
The continuity is in place as manager Raúl guided the U-19 side to glory alongside managing Real Madrid Castilla.
This is his 3rd season in charge of nurturing the Castilla side which is ultimately the bridge between La Fábrica and the Santiago Bernabéu.
And it’s not just the players who are performing towards the dream of Real Madrid’s first team. Raúl will have ambitions of landing the top job, just like former Castilla managers Del Bosque, Benítez and Zidane.
So, who could Balona be up against this weekend?
Famous Names
Castilla could field Cañizares in goal, Zidane in midfield and Gudjohnsen up front. Whilst this may sound like some sort of late 90’s dream team, they are in fact the children of Santiago, Zinedine and Eidur respectively.
Andriy Lunin’s positive covid-19 diagnosis means that Toni Fuidias will be promoted to second choice goalkeeper for Real Madrid’s visit to Real Betis. So far this season, Ancelotti had named two goalkeepers on the bench. Taking Luis López would open the door for Cañizares to start.
Will we see any of those famous fathers in the stands at the Estadio Municipal this Sunday?
Players with First Team Experience
Sergio Arribas scored a golazo late on to win the game against Bilbao Athletic and last season he made eight substitute appearances for the first team. One-time Tranmere Rovers player Marvin Park was another who found himself stepping up to Real Madrid’s elite squad last season. Park made the first XI on a couple of occasions. Another who made starts last season was Antonio Blanco. He also made his full international debut in the game against Lithuania when Spain changed their whole side due to covid-19. Blanco completed the full 90 mins for Real Madrid on two occasions last season and this season has been on the bench for both games so far. It will be interesting to see which squad list he appears on for the weekend.
A mini Luis Figo
Right Winger Jaume Jardí made the move from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid this summer. Whilst not creating the same media circus that surrounded Luis Figo’s transfer back in 2000, picking up the U-19 captain of Barça could prove a canny bit of business.
European Champions
Nine of the starting XI from the victorious UEFA Youth League team are in the Castilla squad. Pablo Rodriguez moved to Lecce and Victor Chust has gone on loan to Cádiz to get first team experience in La Liga this season. This is a squad full of players that know what it takes to win
The positives for Balona
Despite the Youth League success, when it came to be playing against men it was not always as straight forward. Last season many of this current squad were in the team that were eliminated by UD Ibiza in the promotion play-offs. How they recover from being so close to promotion last time out remains to be seen.
One thing is for certain, this is a side that will be expecting a promotion push this season and have, despite their tender years, already experienced a lot in football under the guidance of a Real Madrid legend.
The Estadio Municipal is not the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano. The home of Balona can be an advantage with the away side used to facilities of a much higher calibre to what they will experience on Sunday.
Victor Chust was the main captain of the side last season and he is gone. The armband also rested on the arm of Antonio Blanco last season and he has been with the firsts so who will be the leader on the pitch for the young whites?
Enough about the opposition and more focus on what Balona can do. This pre-season La Recia lost despite putting up spirited performances against sides from a higher division, drew unfortunately against the only side from the same tier and defeated all sides they faced from a lower league. This would indicate that this side is a side that can compete in this group and they have the perfect opportunity to show that on Sunday against a fancied side.
This game will have a lot of eyes on it, more than if the visiting team had been someone else so this is a great chance for the likes of Coulibaly and Koroma to announce themselves to a huge audience. Loren who celebrated his birthday this week is another player who could have a huge impact on the result. The lad is Balona through and through and this is the perfect test for him right now.
Gerard Oliva can use all his experience to upset the new centre back pairing of Castilla in the absence of Chust and if Blanco is absent from centre midfield does this allow Coulibaly to dominate?
New captain Nacho Miras will be pivotal also. He has the all-seeing eyes and how he organises and motivates the ten in front of him whether things go to plan or not will be one to watch for.
This is going to be one game you do not want to miss as future legends of the game step onto the pitch in La Linea. When I say future legends of the game, I include Miras and Koroma in that number.
PEÑA PICHIGÜEY 