Rubi: ‘We’ll fight until the very end for automatic promotion’
The UD Almería gaffer admits automatic promotion has become more difficult, but insists ‘anything can still happen’ ahead of the trip to Gijón
‘We’re going to fight until the very end for automatic promotion. It’s complicated now, but everything for us depends on winning in Gijón, which will be very difficult and then hoping for good news after the match,' stated UD Almería head coach Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia 'Rubi' during his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s clash at El Molinón-Enrique Castro ‘Quini’ stadium against Sporting Gijón.
After back-to-back games without a win, UD Almería no longer control their own destiny in the race for automatic promotion. However, if they bag all 3 points in Gijón and Deportivo de la Coruña fail to win in Valladolid, the the Rojiblancos will head into the final Matchday of the 2025/26 season still with a chance of going up to the top flight automatically.
Asked about the mood in the squad, the gaffer admitted his side was still hurting after the defeat to UD Las Palmas: ‘We were disappointed with the way we lost against UD Las Palmas but we’ve managed to move on as the days have passed. This team is united, we’re arriving strong for this Matchday and fully focused on making the most of every possibility.’
When questioned about whether he trusted Real Valladolid to do UD Almería a favour against Dépor, Rubi was emphatic: ‘I have complete faith in football. Deportivo will have it just as tough in Pucela as we will in Gijón.’
The Catalan also warned against underestimating Sporting Gijón: 'This match is far more difficult than it might look. Sporting have brilliant players, they’re well organised, they attack in many different ways, which means you always have to stay alert and defensively they don’t really have many weaknesses. They’re a very complete side.’
The Vilassar de Mar native also pointed to the emotional factor surrounding the occasion: ‘It’s their final home game of the season, in front of their own fans, and the new head coach at the helm will be watching from the stands, so the players will have extra motivation.’
Despite the challenge ahead, Rubi remains fully confident in his team and stressed that the key will be focusing on performance rather than pressure: ‘We must go for the win by doing things properly, not by becoming obsessed with the situation. In Burgos, in our previous away match, we were excellent defensively and against the Islanders, despite the defeat, we showed a very high attacking level. If we can combine those two aspects, it'll be very positive.’
The UD Almería head coach also made clear that if automatic promotion proves out of reach, securing 3rd place would still be crucial heading into the promotion play-offs. For now, though, the Indálicos remain fully focused on achieving promotion the direct way and history shows dramatic final-day turnarounds are always possible.