CE Europa and UE Sant Andreu will play their first-ever match in the Primera Federació on Saturday at 18:30 local time (17:30 UTC) at the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà de Llobregat, Ara.cat reported.
The fixture marks a milestone for the two historic Barcelona clubs after winning promotion to Spain’s third tier. Both organizations have sold more than 15,000 tickets for the clash.
Organizer capacity initially stood at 14,000 localities. High demand forced CE Europa to expand available seating to 16,000 seats.
ALEXIS ALEXIIISSSS https://t.co/BpOuieDNkK pic.twitter.com/cxDeAZ9Jpn
Neither club will host the fixture at its traditional home ground due to infrastructural requirements in Barcelona. CE Europa remains based temporarily at Can Dragó since January while awaiting natural grass installation at Nou Sardenya.
“Ens fa mal no poder gaudir d’un Europa-Sant Andreu al Nou Sardenya,” said Àlex Cano, captain of CE Europa, told Ara.cat. “Per a nosaltres és vital jugar a casa.”
UE Sant Andreu recently equipped its Narcís Sala stadium with natural turf in November. The venue changes forced the encounter to relocate to the home stadium of RCD Espanyol.
“És un luxe poder gaudir d’aquest camp,” Cano told Ara.cat regarding the RCDE Stadium venue.
CE Europa enters the weekend in 16th place within the relegation zone. UE Sant Andreu sits three points ahead outside the drop zone.
“Segurament serà el derbi més mediàtic de la història, però al final són tres punts igual d’importants que els de la setmana passada,” said Alberto García, captain of UE Sant Andreu, told Ara.cat.
Both squads arrive following recent managerial changes. UE Sant Andreu appointed Javi Rey on October 28 following the dismissal of Natxo González. CE Europa replaced Josep Maria Gené with Luis Blanco earlier in September.
Captains from both sides gathered at the Torre Glòries viewpoint ahead of kickoff to preview the encounter. Both leaders emphasized the unique intensity of the fixture.
“Viure això és impressionant, ens fa sentir orgullosos i molt professionals,” García told Ara.cat.
“Les dues aficions estaran tota l’estona amb els seus càntics,” Cano told Ara.cat. “No hi ha ni un segon de silenci.”
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