Málaga CF left-back Adam Aznou could make his first-team debut this Friday against RCD Espanyol at La Rosaleda. His return to fitness comes at a key time for the Andalusian side, who face the Barcelona-based team with significant absences in that position.

The full-back situation

José Salinas, on loan from a Catalan club, is ineligible to play against Espanyol due to a clause in his loan agreement. This is compounded by the absence of Rafita, who has been called up by the Spain Under-21 squad for matches against Romania and Italy. The player will return to the club with only one or two training sessions before the match, making a start or a full 90-minute appearance unlikely. These circumstances open the door for Aznou, who after overcoming muscular issues is training normally and ready to provide a solution.

The injury context

Málaga approach this match with other fitness concerns in the squad. Juan Cruz and Jens Cajuste, who both played some minutes against Levante, are in the recovery phase and could be available. However, Cajuste is not training with the group during the international break. Diego Murillo, Aaron Ochoa and Julen Lobete remain sidelined. In contrast, Fernando Calero is fully fit and ready to compete. Aznou's return is a relief for the coaching staff, who see left-back cover becoming complicated for a key fixture.

The Espanyol challenge

RCD Espanyol, meanwhile, travel to La Rosaleda on the back of a difficult run. The white-and-blue side sit 15th in LaLiga with seven points from two wins, one draw and four defeats. Their last result was a 1-3 defeat to Elche on September 18th, part of a negative sequence that includes another loss to Rayo Vallecano. Forward Roberto Fernández is their top scorer this season with six goals in seven appearances.

The match will be played on Friday, October 9th at 21:00. Adam Aznou's potential inclusion in the Málaga CF starting lineup will be one of the tactical novelties of a matchday in which Espanyol will look to end their poor run and pick up points away from home. The visiting squad, with all its options detailed on the squad page, will aim to capitalise on the hosts' absences to improve their position in the standings.

The original report is at Sport.es