Features
SÁB 13.06.2015
Girona FC and R. Zaragoza will take to the field on Sunday in the fight for promotion from the Liga BBVA with one game separating them from a place in the final of the playoffs.
Both sides are aware of how much is at stake and, as well as scoring goals, they’ll be out to avoid conceding them. The defences are the chief factor in this respect, for which reason both Girona centre back Florian Lejeune and Zaragoza stopper Leandro Cabrera will be especially to the fore in an all-or-nothing clash with the clubs’ promotion bids on the line.
The French defender joined Girona at the start of the current season, and has become a fixture in the Catalans’ backline. The player had previously tried his luck in Spain with Villarreal CF, but did not enjoy positive fortunes at the Castellón outfit. Now, though, his power and great physical attributes have seen him become a regular in Pablo Machín’s team. He has amassed 39 appearances this term, all as a starter, totalling nearly 3,000 minutes’ playing time.
Cabrera, meanwhile, is a familiar face in Spanish league football. He was brought to the Liga BBVA by Atlético Madrid in the 2009-10 season, and has since gone on to pull on the shirt of several Liga Adelante clubs over the last six years. Thanks to his quality and versatility, during the present campaign the Uruguayan has featured for los maños in 36 matches and been on the pitch for a total of 2,998 minutes.
Both players will be vital to their teams’ efforts to keep a clean sheet. Lejeune has won back possession 161 times while Cabrera is on 145, figures that reflect the security and solidity they provide when their side are defending. What’s more, they are adept at bringing the ball out from the back, the Frenchman’s 1,073 successful passes and Cabrera’s 968 leaving each with a completion rate of over 70%.
So if the key to victory is not to let in goals, in that regard the defensive line is crucial to achieving the aim of going up. Both Lejeune and Cabrera will play leading roles in a match that will decide whether their respective clubs’ push for a spot in the Liga BBVA continues.
Datos infografía:
|
Statistics/players |
Lejeune (France) |
Cabrera (Uruguay) |
|
Total matches |
39 |
36 |
|
Starts |
39 |
33 |
|
Total minutes |
3416 |
2998 |
|
Goals |
5 |
0 |
|
Total shots |
27 |
8 |
|
Shots on target |
13 (48%) |
2 (25%) |
|
Total dribbles |
17 |
10 |
|
Total successful dribbles |
13 (76%) |
7 (70%) |
|
Total passes |
1420 |
1378 |
|
Total completed passes |
1073 (75%) |
968 (70%) |
|
Long balls |
174/361 (48%) |
144/321 (44%) |
|
Short-range passes |
899/ 1059 (87%) |
824/1057 (77%) |
|
Assists |
0 |
2 |
|
Ball recoveries |
161 |
145 |
© LALIGA - 2015