'Phase 2 of the Stadium redevelopment is on schedule; we're working extremely hard, but it's not always visible,' stressed Juan José Rodríguez, UD Almería's Director of Infrastructure, during an interview on UDA Radio, in which he provided an update on the current state of the UD Almería Stadium redevelopment. He also highlighted the new look the pitch will have on Saturday, when the team face FC Andorra, following the replacement of the turf.

'We already explained when the works were presented that there would be two very different and distinct paces of construction. In this first stage, which is where we currently are, progress is slower, but that doesn't mean nothing is being done; quite the opposite. When supporters come to the Stadium, they see the covers concealing the construction work, but they don't realise everything that's being undertaken beneath the stands at either end, where the trackside facilities used to be,' he explained.

Juan José Rodríguez pointed out: 'These are substantial construction works. Several 1,000 cubic metres of earth have been removed from the ends of the Stadium. He went on to add: 'For the past fortnight, we've had a deep foundation drilling rig on site, which is already working down to a depth of 13 metres to allow the excavation of the stormwater retention tanks to be carried out safely. It's worth bearing in mind that the availability of this type of equipment in Spain is very limited. The nature of the construction work is extremely complex, but we had factored that in from the outset, hence the different construction speeds I mentioned earlier.'

The Club's Director of Infrastructure also explained: 'We're close to completing one of the key milestones: awarding the contract to the company that will supply the precast concrete elements for the new stands, including the supporting beams for the terraces... This represents the bulk of the construction work'.

For Juan José Rodríguez, Phase 2 'is a real challenge' because of its scale, the planning and administrative work involved and the fact that the Stadium must be reopened every fortnight for league fixtures, with everything that entails.

During his interview on UDA Radio, he also discussed the new look of the pitch ahead of Saturday's match against FC Andorra.

'Having 2 consecutive away games in the calendar has allowed us to make the transition from summer grass to winter grass, so the change will be significant,' he explained. The new surface, known as Ryegrass, is more vibrant and attractive, with a carpet-like appearance.

At the last home fixture against Real Oviedo, the grass was not suited to the time of year and the pitch was in fairly poor condition. However, he stated: 'We'll still need a few weeks for the new grass to fully establish itself, but the difference will already be very noticeable on Saturday'.