Rubi: ‘We’re excited about taking all 3 points from Castellón’

‘We’re excited about taking all three points from Castellón,' said UD Almería head coach Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia 'Rubi' ahead of their game this Holy Thursday at the SkyFi Castalia Stadium.

'A win would keep us in the automatic promotion spots and create a great atmosphere for Sunday’s home game. Even if we don’t win, we’ll still need the support of our fans because we’re entering the decisive stage of the season and we all have to stick together,' the gaffer added.

Rubi emphasized: 'We’re confident and convinced we’re on the right track. It won’t be easy because many teams have shown they are promotion contenders, but we're one of them and we’re right there.’ He also highlighted CD Castellón’s qualities, despite their run of 6 winless games: ‘I have the utmost respect for our opponents. It’s true they’re going through a difficult spell, but you can’t take them lightly. They’ve played very good football all season and have the weapons to start winning again.’

The Catalan further pointed out: 'Along with Racing de Santander and Real Valladolid, they're among the top-teams for scoring from corners, so set-pieces will be key in this match.’ Another factor, he noted, is: 'We’re seen as the main challenge for other teams because we have quality players, we’re near the top and we’re fighting for promotion… and that adds extra difficulty.’

UD Almería head into the game having won 7 of their last 9 matches. Asked about their form, Rubi said: ‘We’re arriving at the end of the season in good shape and every player in the squad is ready to help achieve our objective. We were all able to turn around a difficult period we had earlier.’

The Vilassar de Mar native was also asked about the RFEF disciplinary committee not meeting on Friday, meaning players like Lopy or Léo Baptistão, who are one booking away from suspension, would not serve a ban on Sunday against CD Leganés but rather the following week against Racing de Santander. Rubi responded: ‘I won’t go into detail on this; I’d be very critical. It doesn’t make sense.’ He also criticised the midweek fixture during the international window: ‘I don’t understand how clubs can approve a calendar like this, even though this time we’ve been among the least affected.’

There will be changes in Castellón due to a week with 3 matches, as he explained: ‘Managing player workload will be crucial.’

Last Sunday, UD Almería closed out Matchday 32 seeing their direct rivals slip up, although Deportivo de La Coruña have now overtaken them after playing earlier. On the psychological impact, Rubi said: ‘We’ve been talking about this for a while and we need to take it naturally because things change every week. We must go game by game and stay focused on ourselves.’