Hercules Aims to Halt Away Game Slump in Marbella

Hercules visits Marbella this Saturday (18:00) with the urgent need to improve their away game performance. Torrecilla's team suffered another defeat in Murcia (1-0) and is now among the worst visitors in the league, a burden that has pushed them out of the promotion spots despite an impeccable record at Rico Pérez.

The team travels to Malaga without two of its regular starters. Winger Javi Moreno remains in Alicante due to accumulated yellow cards, while Retu is absent due to gastroenteritis, according to the club. The Madrid defender, criticised for his marking error in Murcia, was likely to be benched in favour of Abraham del Moral. Additionally, the club is finalising the signing of another left-back in this January transfer window. Hercules' first choice for this position is Moi Delgado, who recently parted ways with Racing de Ferrol, but the deal is complicated as the defender prefers to wait for potential offers from Segunda teams.

Meanwhile, Alvarito and Oriol Soldevila are the two candidates to fill the right-wing position left vacant by Javi Moreno. Alvarito is more likely to start, as Solde is still readjusting to competition after a long absence. The striker has played in the final minutes of the matches against Betis B and Real Murcia and is expected to continue in this role in Marbella, given Alvarito's superior defensive work.

Following the defeat at Nueva Condomina, it remains to be seen if Torrecilla will stick with Colomina, Artiles, and Aranda in midfield. Mario García, the squad's only defensive midfielder, is eager for his chance after missing out on the last two matches and could feature prominently from the start. Additionally, Del Moral will take the left-back position, likely for the last time, as he will be repositioned as a centre-back once another left-back arrives next week, the final week of the transfer window.

On the other hand, Marbella approaches this match under pressure and with a new coach, as Abel Segovia has replaced Alicante's Fran Beltrán. The Malaga team has won only one of their last eleven games, is tied on points with the relegation zone teams, and urgently needs to turn their fortunes around, as this project was designed to compete for promotion, with key players like veteran José Callejón. Marbella will have to overcome the suspensions of three starters: Javier Duarte, Bernardo Espinosa, and Marcos Olguin.