Granada CF will host Real Betis on Saturday at 20:00 at Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes in the Trofeo Ciudad de Granada, with Raúl Lizoain expected to make his first appearance there since joining the club. It is a preseason fixture, but it arrives with more than one issue hanging over Granada’s week.
The timing matters because Granada have been active in the market while the squad is still taking shape. Lizoain, Abdoul Kader Bamba and Sergio López have already arrived, and Diego Pampín and Bouare have surfaced as transfer targets in recent hours. Pampín has finished his contract with UD Levante after ten matches across league and Copa this season, while Granada are still looking for competition for Diallo at left back.
For Lizoain, the night carries a straightforward test. He is likely to play in front of home support for the first time as a Granada player, and the game offers Pacheta a chance to measure where the group stands against a Real Betis side that has won its two previous preseason friendlies, against Lotte and Recreativo de Huelva. One reason the match is drawing extra attention is that Isco Alarcón remains a doubt for Real Betis as he continues to recover from a serious injury suffered last season.
There is also a familiar face on the other side. Gonzalo Petit will return to face former Granada teammates after a brief spell at Granada last season, which gives the friendly a sharper edge than the label might suggest. Even so, the deeper story around Granada is not only who starts on Saturday but how much the club can settle before the game begins.
That is because Granada are still waiting for the club sale to be completed, and the new Board of Directors may sit in the stadium box on Wednesday or the box may remain empty until then. The delay has already slowed business during the previous month, which explains why the squad keeps changing even as the season buildup continues. Against that backdrop, whether Pacheta gives minutes to Abdoul Kader Bamba and Sergio López will be watched almost as closely as the result itself.
Granada’s next step comes quickly. They are scheduled to play Almería at home on Wednesday, and by then the club may finally have clearer answers off the field as well as on it. For now, Saturday is the first real chance to see how the latest arrivals fit around a team still being built.
