On the eve of Elche’s clash with Real Madrid, head coach Eder Sarabia spoke to media in the pre-match press conference, insisting that his team is prepared to challenge the league leaders in what he called “a very special day” for the club.
Sarabia made no attempt to hide the difficulty of the task — but also emphasized that a single game can open the door to surprises:
“It’s clear we can win. In La Liga, they’ll finish ahead of us, and if we play several matches, they’ll win more. But in a single
game, with our strengths, determination, and our fans, anything is possible.”
Belief, Momentum, and a Near-Perfect Performance
“The energy the team transmits, and the energy that comes from outside, is that we’re going to put up a fight and make things difficult. We need a near-perfect game, but we believe we can do it. We’re in great form, both individually and as a team. It will be an important and very special day; we’ll try to make history.”
Admiration for Courtois
“I have a good relationship with Courtois. We’ve shared some time together, I admire his work and his style as a goalkeeper. He’s a very intelligent person, two or three steps ahead of most. He has the ability to reflect, and it’s always nice to be praised by someone with that ability. My admiration for him is immense.”
“Real Madrid Is Different from Barça”
“Real Madrid is different from Barça. We will do things differently. The courage, the essence, the desire to attack and win back the ball will always be there. But we have to do it with our best plan to play against this team.
“I don’t know if it’s a better or worse match for us than Barça, but we learn from every game. The key is to make the right decisions throughout the match. It’s a challenging game. In terms of prestige, Real Madrid is something special.”
A Tactical Challenge: Control Before and After the Pass
“As always, we’ll focus on what happens before they receive the ball and what happens after they do. Sometimes we’ll create one-on-one situations, other times we’ll try to help out. On other occasions, we’ll direct the game in the way we want. We hope they’re not at their best.”
Conviction Above All
“Whatever we do at any given moment, we have to do it with complete conviction. We have to know how to read what the game needs and execute it. We all have to pull together.”
