Baptistão: ' The Granada CF game Is a huge challenge for us'
The UD Almería forward highlights the importance of fan support and reflects on his decisive goal against Málaga CF
Léo Baptistão is one of the standout names at UD Almería right now. The Brazilian forward returned to action last Matchday after serving a suspension for accumulated bookings and scored the winning goal against Málaga CF, keeping the team firmly in the race for automatic promotion. 'The win was essential for us; it was a derby, we were up against direct rivals and we were coming off a defeat to Racing Santander… we needed to win and we did. We’re very happy, but cautious because there’s still a long way to go.'
The attacker praised 'the team’s reaction', adding that 'UD Almería never give up and we believed until the end. Of course, I would've preferred a 2-0 win to be more comfortable…' Speaking about the decisive goal, he said: 'Morcillo delivered a great cross, it had music and as the ball came towards me it almost seemed to shine.' He also revealed that 'these are moves we work on in training, and seeing them come off in a match is very satisfying. It’s a team effort.'
Both goals were scored by two of the more experienced players in the squad, Embarba and Baptistão himself. On that note, he joked: 'Between us we’re already over 60, but we feel young and want to keep making music even if it’s vintage.'
Looking ahead to Sunday’s clash in Granada CF, the Santos native said: 'It’s going to be a huge challenge for us. A derby is always different, anything can happen and either side can win. The team that stay more focused and play with greater intensity will come out on top.'
For the Brazilian, it’s 'a great game to play in' and upon hearing about the huge travelling support, Baptistão added: 'Knowing we’ll have our fans behind us gives us even more motivation because their support is fundamental for us.'
It will be both a challenge and a major test, especially after UD Almería’s last two away defeats: 'Winning away from home is very difficult and teams always raise their level against us.' He concluded: 'Granada CF are in good form, especially at home and they’ll make things very tough. But we have to go all in...this is an opportunity and we must seize it.'
On the competitiveness of the league, the 33-year-old said: 'It’s crazy, both at the top and bottom. What’s happening this season isn’t normal. The fight for promotion and the play-offs is incredible.'