Eder Sarabia, the head coach of Elche, faced the media on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s crucial La Liga match against Real Betis at La Cartuja (8:00 PM). The game marks the third-to-last round of the season, with Elche fighting tooth and nail to secure their place in Spain’s top flight.
“We’re eager to keep enjoying fantastic atmospheres like the one we’ll find in Seville,” Sarabia said. The franjiverde side currently hold a slender two-point lead over the relegation zone, occupied by Alavés—Elche’s most recent opponent, whom they drew with at the Martínez Valero this past weekend.
**Sarabia’s Key Statements**
The Elche boss confirmed that Yago de Santiago and Adam Boayar would miss the trip, though the entire squad is expected to travel to Seville. Rafa Mir, still struggling with hamstring issues that have sidelined him for the last two matches, will be given every chance to be on the bench at La Cartuja.
**Reflection on Last Weekend’s Draw**
“First, I want to congratulate Barcelona on the title and send a warm hug to Flick after the passing of his father… now let them go for 100 points. We can’t control other results; we must focus on ourselves. The team is in good shape—we’ve been on a strong run of points. After analyzing the Alavés match, I think we deserved to win. We created plenty of chances and had clear opportunities. It’s about managing emotions; for example, in the penalty incident, we maybe lacked a bit of calm. That’s why we want to transmit confidence and security to the players. We keep an eye on others, but our focus is on ourselves.”
**On Real Betis**
“Betis are a great team—they’ve almost secured fifth place and a Champions League spot. They knocked us out of the Copa del Rey in somewhat strange circumstances. We have game and personality, and we’re ready to win away from home again.”
“They’re a top side with a top coach—the best in Betis’ history. They have many resources and alternatives; it seems they might have some defensive absences. From midfield forward, they have outstanding players, so we expect their best version. I think we’ll have the ball a lot, and we need to trouble them while understanding what to do when they have possession. It will be a beautiful setting, and we’re keen to keep enjoying these environments.”
**On Rotations**
“We’ll make a few changes because physical freshness is important. I see the team in good shape; after the goal against Alavés, we had our best spell. The team is hungry. We’ll put out a strong side, and we always have a plan A and a plan B for what might happen during the match.”
**On Sevilla’s Suspicion**
“I’m a bit surprised that Sevilla want Betis to win. I understand they’ll be calmer now after their two wins. They’re still fighting for their own survival, so there’s not much to it.”
**On the Tough Survival Battle**
“We have to accept the situation; we can’t complain about how it has been in other years. It seems staying up will be very difficult. There are other teams in the same position as Elche. We approach it naturally because we want to remain in this league. We had a very good first half of the season with high expectations, and now we’re fighting for the logical objective.”
**Mental Aspect in the Final Stretch**
“If there’s something you haven’t worked on, two motivational talks won’t make it happen. There are many parallels with last season—Levante’s situation, what happened the other day against…”
