Almeria vs Reus Deportiu Predictions

Both Almeria and Reus Deportiu beat former La Liga sides in the last round of the Copa del Rey, but victory on Thursday could see them lineup against current top division opposition in the next round. Just four points separate the two clubs in the Segunda Division table, but as things stand Almeria appear to have what it takes to challenge for promotion, while Reus Deportiu could be in line for a relegation battle.

At the weekend Almeria gave freshly relegated Las Palmas a thrashing at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, which began with Narváez’s ninth minute opener. That goal proved enough to separate the teams at half time and while the hosts were creating more chances, Las Palmas were seeing plenty of the ball and just not doing enough with their possession.

Narváez turned provider in the second half as he setup Juan Carlos in the sixty-sixth minute to double Almeria’s lead. Las Palmas had to score the next goal, but no matter what they tried they just couldn’t break down a resolute Almeria defence. The hosts wrapped up all three points with five minutes left on the clock as the unfortunate Álvaro Lemos scored an own goal to make the final scoreline 3-0.

This current season is Almeria’s fourth in the Segunda Division following their relegation from La Liga in 2015, but after finishing in the bottom half of the table in each of the last three campaigns it finally looks as if they have a team they could challenge for the play-offs and a possible return to the top flight.

Giménez and Carlos have both scored twice in the league this season and top score for Almeria, but neither has registered in the Copa del Rey yet. Miguel Linares is also yet to score in the Copa del Rey this season, but with three league goals the Spaniard top scores for Reus Deportiu and will provide the focal point of the visitors attack on Thursday.

Linares found the back of the net as Reus Deportiu earned a 1-1 draw away at Sporting Gijon last weekend, but the visitors will have been disappointed to concede an equalising goal so late in the match.

The first half ended goalless despite the best efforts of Sporting Gijon who dominated the opening forty-five and really should have been at least one goal to the good at the break, but Đurđević missed a penalty just seconds before the interval.

Reus Deportiu took the lead completely against the run of play in the sixty-eighth minute through Miguel Linares, with just their second shot on target. However, despite the game moving into stoppage time Reus were unable to hold onto their lead and a second penalty to Sporting deep into time added on saw Carlos Carmona rescue a deserved point for the hosts.

If Reus put in another display like that on Thursday then their Copa del Rey run is likely to come to an end as Almeria have a better defensive and attacking record this season, not to mention the home advantage.

We’re confident that Almeria will win to nil on Thursday and have backed the final scoreline to end 2-0. All of the previous five matches between the two clubs have ended in a win to nil, while three of Almeria’s last four games have ended in a win to nil. Reus Deportiu are without a win in their last four matches and their performance at the weekend suggests their winless run isn’t coming to an end any time soon.