Pacheta warns Granada must beat Zaragoza today

Granada’s trip to Zaragoza on Friday, May 1 is not being framed as a routine Segunda match. Pacheta said it plainly — his team has to win to make sure survival stops being a weekly anxiety. That urgency comes with a catch, because Granada travel without two important pieces, goalkeeper Luca Zidane and center-back Manu Lama. And the opponent is not some harmless side already checked out for the season — Zaragoza are down in 19th and still dangerous because desperation cuts both ways. (granadahoy.com) ### Why is this game suddenly so big? Because Granada are close to safety, but not far enough away to relax. LaLiga’s official pre-match table had Granada 14th on 45 points after 36 games, while Zaragoza sat 19th on 35. In Segunda, that kind of gap can look (granadahoy.com)b now, don’t leave it for later. (laliga.com) ### What exactly did Pacheta say? He warned that Zaragoza are “dangerous” and said Granada need to be alert and concentrated. But the line that matters most is the blunt one — Granada “have to win to ensure permanence.” That tells you how the club i(laliga.com)he relegation conversation. (granadahoy.com) ### Why is Zaragoza a tricky opponent? Because their position makes them volatile. Zaragoza came into the match in 19th place, and teams in that zone are usually playing with a kind of all-or-nothing edge. Granada Hoy also pointed to the head-to-head angle: (granadahoy.com)rmly their way. In a survival race, that is not trivia — it is insurance. (laliga.com) ### Who is missing for Granada? The two big absences are Luca Zidane and Manu Lama. That matters because one is the goalkeeper and the other is a starting center-back — basically the spine of the defense. Pacheta said Ander Astralaga will replace Zi(laliga.com)r and a central defender before a pressure game is the kind of problem coaches always downplay in public and worry about in private. (granadahoy.com) ### Does Granada have any margin at all? Some, yes. A lot, no. Granada Hoy argued this is a “golden opportunity” because Granada have generally handled direct tiebreakers well against teams around the bottom and could strengthen that edge again here. That is(granadahoy.com)eath them, plus extra leverage if the table tightens later. (granadahoy.com) ### So why all the talk about relaxation? Because this is exactly when teams drift. Once players feel survival is “almost” done, intensity can slip by 5 percent — and that is enough to lose in Segunda. Pacheta addressed that head-on in the bu(granadahoy.com) “not safe at all.” (cope.es) ### What should matter most once it starts? Granada’s defensive stability. Without Zidane and Lama, the cleanest path is probably not a pretty one. They need concentration, fewer mistak(cope.es). (granadahoy.com) ### Bottom line? This is a survival game disguised as a mid-table fixture. Granada are above Zaragoza, but not above the stress yet. Pacheta knows it — and that is why he is calling for a win now, not excuses later. (granadahoy.com)