Albacete vs Eibar - Segunda División

There is a notable edge to this Segunda División fixture. When Albacete meet Eibar at the home ground on April 24, 2026, both will sense an opportunity to land a telling blow. That coronation came from City's £116m summer signing Elliot Anderson - and has been hotly debated in the build-up to the Manchester derby Super Sunday showdown at Old Trafford, which you can watch live on Sky Sports.

Form and standings can only tell part of the story when Albacete and Eibar cross paths in the Segunda División, and pride alone should guarantee a contest. The hosts are desperate for a lift, with D in their last five and a win rate of 0% that underscores the size of the task facing them. When a team wins 80% of their matches and posts WWWWL in their last five, as Eibar have, even the longest trips hold no fear. The contrast in attacking output — 0.6 versus 2 goals per game — adds an extra layer of intrigue. If the recent winter window is anything to go off, meanwhile, United are once again unlikely to spend big for reinforcement half-way through the season.

How the two sides approach the contest strategically will be key. Albacete will want to control proceedings in front of their own supporters, while Eibar will back themselves to cause problems on the break. They were slightly found out against Amorim's Milan in pre-season, with the press not quite sharp enough - the fourth goal, in particular, came from just one ball over a high-lined defence.

Individual moments of quality could tip the balance. Both sides possess players capable of producing something out of nothing, and a single flash of brilliance may be all that separates them. Discipline at the back and sharpness in front of goal will likely tilt the balance one way or the other. The Inter Miami forward is expected to continue playing at club level, but whether he extends his international career for another two years remains one of the biggest questions facing Argentina.

Predicting an outright winner is no easy task given how little separates the two sides on paper. The signals point towards a stalemate, with the two sides closely matched across form and standings. A 2-2 draw is easy to envisage. With the standings tight and form on the line, this is a fixture neither side will want to lose. Manchester City will begin another Premier League season with major uncertainty hanging over the club after league chief executive Richard Masters admitted the long-awaited verdict on their financial case has taken longer than expected.