Aranda Forced to Rest After Playing While Injured

Antonio Aranda's eagerness to help is taking its toll. The Granada midfielder has been forced to rest because the pain from a bone edema in his toe persists. Aranda decided to play through the pain to assist in recent matches, but now he is facing the consequences. The edema remains, and rest is the only prescription from the medical team. For this reason, Aranda was left out of the squad against Alcoyano and will also not be ready for this Friday's match against Castilla at Rico Pérez (8:30 PM).

This match will also be missed by forward Yanis Senhadji (recovering from knee surgery) and central defender Josema (suspended with five yellow cards). The good news from the medical department this week comes with Roger Colomina. The Catalan midfielder, who was pivotal in El Collao with a goal and an assist, requested a substitution due to muscle fatigue, and the ultrasound revealed no micro-tears, making him a potential starter against Castilla. There are more doubts about the Canarian José Artiles, who is nursing a mild ankle sprain, but if the swelling subsides in the next 48 hours, he could remain in the lineup alongside Mangada and Colomina.

Meanwhile, Hercules coach Rubén Torrecilla warned on Wednesday that Real Madrid Castilla is one of the most in-form teams in the competition and highlighted their "brutal striking power" in attack. "We must be prepared to minimize their strengths and make it an uncomfortable match for them," said the Extremaduran coach, who admitted that Hercules benefited mentally from breaking their poor away form in Alcoy.

The Hercules coach recalled that forward Gonzalo, the top scorer in the competition, is in great form, as is Víctor, noted for his speed. However, the Hercules manager ruled out special individual marking for both players, stating that the strength in defense should be "the group."

Torrecilla stated that his only focus is on winning against Castilla this Friday, and he did not want to look ahead to the upcoming matches, where his team will face two of the top-ranked teams. "Every match in this category is challenging, and anyone can make it difficult for you," he said.

The coach from Cáceres reiterated his message of maintaining ambition once the team secures its place in the league. "If we achieve it, we will continue to work hard with enthusiasm and competitiveness," he indicated.

Finally, he criticized the date and time of the match (Friday, 8:30 PM), stating that it is detrimental to the teams and, above all, to the fans. "It is not coherent in this category. It affects us at home, but imagine if it were away. This category is not prepared for this. Here, there are 10 and 11-hour journeys. Football is for Saturday and Sunday afternoons," he concluded.