He will not be on the pitch at the Son Moix stadium on Sunday, nor even on the bench, but he will be one of the main figures in the big game between two of the leading favourites for promotion to LaLiga. That man is UD Almería team manager Salva Sevilla, who returns to  Mallorca to visit a club with whom he shares a special history. In fact, he joined the Bermellón side in third-tier Segunda 'B' after having played in LaLiga; he spent 5 seasons there and experienced 3 promotions, two of them in successive seasons from the third division to the top flight and another promotion to the elite after relegation to Segunda 'A'. 

 

When Salva left, he received a very emotional farewell. His name is still fondly and warmly remembered there. Now he returns with UD Almería. Speaking to UDA Radio, the Club’s official station, he discussed his feelings ahead of the game. 'It'll bring many memories back, I’ll greet a lot of people, but I like to stay focused on my job. I never wanted to be the centre of attention when I was a player, so imagine now... the important thing is the game. I hope we bring all three points home; then I’ll wish Mallorca all the best,' he said.

 

The fixture is a 'clash of the titans,' as explained by the former footballer, who retired at the age of 40: 'I think UD Almería and RCD Mallorca perhaps have the two strongest squads in the division, along with Girona FC. As I see it, they may be the most balanced in terms of the number of quality players.'

 

Regarding the game itself, Mr Sevilla stressed: 'It’s going to be very tough; we’re two teams with the same objective, who want to play good football, who want to attack...'

 

The UD Almería team manager has full confidence in UD Almería’s promotion ambitions because as he explained: 'I see the day-to-day work and what they’re doing and the desire they have, the excitement about achieving things, about continuing to improve. There’s a very strong and committed group of players, which is fundamental for things to go well. I reckon we’re seeing some very promising signs from the head coach in terms of what he wants to get across to the team and it’s working. We’ve taken a step forward.'

 

Going back to his time at RCD Mallorca, on Sunday he will come up against former team-mates who are still playing, such as Raíllo and Abdón Prats. Salva also played alongside Baba, both at RCD Mallorca and later at UD Almería, 'with whom I had a great relationship; he’s a lovely guy...even one of my sons wanted to name his baby brother Baba when he was born.'