Our prediction for this Copa del Rey match:
Estadio Principe Felipe will host Thursday’s Copa del Rey game between Cacereno and Girona, the two teams who have never met before in a competitive match. Cacereno set up a meeting with Girona by beating Cordoba 3-0, and they must be high on spirits ahead of the visit of Girona. A man to watch in the home team will be experienced forward Ruben Solano, who has been in a fine form of late.
The Catalans, on the other hand, survived lower-league side Quintanar to make it to the Spanish Cup last 64. Girona are not regarded as good travellers, and that is the main reason why we are tempted to put our money on draw. Defender Juanpe remains on the sidelines with injury for the visiting side, while veteran striker Stuani should be rested against Cacereno.
Highlighted Player (Christian Stuani):
Cristhian Stuani is considered one of the best Uruguay attackers. Stuani was born on 12 October, 1986 and he began his senior career at Danubio. He impressed with the Uruguayan outfit, scoring 23 goals in 36 appearances for the club and, as a result, he became a target for a number of top European clubs.
In 2008 he signed a contract with Reggina, but he failed to impress in 17 appearances for the Italian team. After spending the 2012/2013 season on loan at Espanyol, Christian Stuani signed a permanent deal with the Catalan side in 2013. Stuani scored 12 goals in 37 league appearances for Espanyol in the 2014/2015 Primera Division campaign, but at the end of the season he moved to Middlesbrough for a reported €3 million fee.
The 186-cm-tall striker made his Uruguay debut on 14 November, 2012 in a friendly win over Poland. Stuani also represented la Celeste at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Highlighted Team (Girona):
After several unsuccessful attempts, finally secured promotion to Primera Division at the end of the 2016/2017 season. The Catalan outfit finished the campaign in second place in the standings, 14 points behind Levante and only two clear of third-placed Getafe. Girona play their home games at Montilivi and the capacity of the venue is 9.286.
Speaking of the club history, Girona were founded in the café Norat in La Rambla of Girona on July 23, 1930 and they played their first official game against Colonia Artigas. A number of Spanish coaches were in charge of the team in the past, but it has to be noted that Uruguayan tactician Dagoberto Moll (1965/1966) and Karoly Plattko (1948/1949) of Hungary were in charge of the club as well.
The Catalan team wear white shirts with red stripes when playing at home, while the colour of their shorts is blue. The team’s away kits are blue and black and Sporting Gijon are considered one of Girona’s fiercest rivals.