Press conference
Rubi: 'We haven't won away from home in a long time and we need it'
The UD Almería head coach believes the 3 points against CD Castellón are crucial for his team's aspirations, although he acknowledges the difficulties of the match and the potential of the hosts, whom he praises
'We haven't won away from home in a long time and we need it,' said UD Almería head coach Rubi as he looked ahead to this Friday's fixture against CD Castellón at the SkyFi Castalia Stadium (KO 9pm Spanish Time/Matchday 36). Away matches have become impossible for the Indálicos, who won in Córdoba at the start of 2025, back in January.
Since then, 5 defeats (Albacete, La Coruña, Eibar, Burgos, and Granada) and 1 draw (Gijón), a record that has taken the team out of the promotion play-offs. Getting back to the top-six is the goal so in order to achieve it, a win is essential. Otherwise, there will be no room for error and UD Almería would have to 'get points to secure the play-offs participation as soon as possible.'
The match at the Castalia stadium is crucial because after that, the Rojiblancos will host two consecutive home matches against Racing de Ferrol and CD Eldense. All of this comes after having won the previous match against FC Cartagena.
But Rubi's side face formidable opponents, 'one of the teams I've liked the most this season by far,' emphasised the Catalan, who explained: 'They create a huge number of scoring chances and are physically very strong; one of the teams with the most km ran in La Liga.'
As a result, UD Almería must put in their best performance and they're working with that in mind. 'We've valued the many things we did well for 70 minutes in the last match. At the same time, we've improved the final stretch.'
Rubi's team entered the second half as the LaLiga Hypermotion leaders. 'The league is very attractive for the impartial fan and a real pain for everyone else. The competition is tougher than ever and there are more teams than ever fighting for every objective,' the Vilassar de Mar concluded.