UD Almería head coach Xavier García Pimienta is taking nothing for granted. Neither SD Eibar's recent run of results nor the historical statistics that have favoured Almería at Ipurúa have convinced him to underestimate their opponents. The UD Almería head coach expects an 'extremely difficult match' this Saturday against a side he considers far more dangerous than their last three winless games might suggest.

'At SD Eibar's ground, there's always something happening. There's always plenty of pace and intensity,' the gaffer warned. He believes the way SD Eibar have performed in their recent matches means his team must remain 'super alert' against very tough opponents.

The Armero side may not be enjoying their best run of results, but Xavier García Pimienta is wary of drawing misleading conclusions. 'It's true that they've gone 3 games without a win, but looking at those 3 matches, they could easily have picked up many more points,' he explained.

The Barcelona-born also attaches little importance to UD Almería's unfavourable historical record at Ipurúa. 'Streaks and statistics are there to be broken. Ultimately, every match is different. Let's see if we can put in a good performance and take all three points.'

The match will also bring together 2 teams sitting near the top of the table, in second and third place respectively, ahead of the upcoming round of fixtures. It's an exciting scenario, although it's still too early to draw any major conclusions.

'When the match is over, we'll be on Matchday 12. We won't even have completed a third of the season. Whatever happens on Saturday, nothing will have been decided, for better or for worse,' García Pimienta pointed out.

Nevertheless, the head coach sees the encounter as an important competitive test:  'It's a very good test to find out what we are made of.'

The gaffer wants his team to improve by making better use of possession and address an issue that has surfaced over the past two Matchdays. 'What has happened in these last two matches is not ideal. It is not what we want,' he admitted.

According to Garcia Pimienta, the solution also lies in regaining control through possession: 'When you have the ball, you need to make the things you want to happen occur much more often. For example, defending with the ball or getting closer to the opposition goal.'

Regarding player availability, the head coach confirmed that Ely and Melamed will be unavailable. He also reported that Vesga 'trained normally', while Chirino 'is in the process of rehabilitation and has started working out on the pitch'.