Rubi: 'We go to Albacete with humility and the ambition to win'

'We go to Albacete with humility and the ambition to win at a very difficult ground,' said UD Almería head coach Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia 'Rubi' to the media in his pre-Albacete press conference ahead of Friday’s fixture at the Carlos Belmonte stadium.

A victory would lift UD Almería into the automatic promotion places. However, the gaffer was keen to keep perspective: 'There are still many Matchdays to go, direct encounters ahead… the important thing right now is not to break the run we’re on because if we maintain it, it'll be very positive for us. That’s what has to motivate us.'

Last season, UD Almería were beaten in Albacete and that result triggered a negative streak. Reflecting on that experience, Rubi commented: 'It helped us learn and therefore, if we have to lose, let it not be the way it happened then.'

For the UD Almería first-team boss, the upcoming fixture is 'extremely difficult.' In that sense, he explained: 'Albacete BP have already shown the level they can reach, which is very high. They knocked out Real Celta de Vigo and Real Madrid CF in the Spanish Cup, Barça really struggled at the Carlos Belmonte and in the league they played a great game in La Coruña that slipped away from them.'

Rubi added: 'I empathise with their head coach because the same thing has happened to them as to us, although in our case we reacted. They'll want to do the same, regardless of the fact they deserved more in the last 3 matches they lost.'

The Catalan welcomed the return of midfielders Lopy and Baba, though he will be without Horta, Alex Muñoz and Embarba. He also highlighted 'having a 7-point cushion inside the play-off spots and being well positioned to access the automatic promotion places, which is what really matters.'

Rubi is confident his team can deliver a strong performance in Albacete, fully aware of the challenge that awaits. As he underlined, 'everywhere we go, they’re waiting for us.'