Unai Emery expects a “very complicated” match, against an opponent who “makes the matches very uncomfortable until the end.” Almirón's work stands out, as he has managed to “keep the good things from last year and add very interesting things”. Regarding his team, he hopes to continue “maintaining the rhythm and competitive level”, although he hopes to break “the streak of two draws in a row in the league.”
Paco Alcacer: “Knowing that yesterday we did not train we could not prove it, the idea is that today he will be in the group and if he trains normally he can be called up. We do not know if for 90 minutes or for a while, we are going to see how the session is and how it is going. We have 3 alternatives, the return of Paco, that Niño plays or, put Gerard up. Although we must continue with the idea of giving options to people who work and that means continuing to trust young people. Child child you sew them well, so using Child up is a very present option. We work so that young people are prepared and that is what they have been demonstrating and that we cannot forget ”.
All clean of Covid: “The PCR tests are all negative, we are all suitable and that is important. With the return of Paco, only Moi and Bacca remain outside. Not being able to train would have been better, but it is not a session that upsets us much. It was better that they rest. And remember that after the game those who played the least trained, as well as those who had stayed at home ”.
Elche: “It is a promoted team that has a lot of confidence, Almirón maintains what Pacheta did, he maintains what he did last year adding interesting things and doing a very good job. They are competing well, they have 13 points and they have only asked for two games out of nine, managing to make the games very uncomfortable for the rival team. He likes to have the ball and it is not easy to take it away from him, with players who are growing at first with an upward trajectory, with players like Pere Milla who is a sample of it, who verifies the confidence that those played right now have. It will be a very difficult match.
Elche system requires changes: “They have played with 4 behind the last games, it is true that before they played with 5 behind, these changes are due to the change of players and other rotations. Tomorrow it is a mystery to see how they are going to play, they have players who can play as lanes, but they can perfectly change to playing with four behind. We must work more starting from his style than from his system. They are a team that wants the ball, which makes them a team that forces you to work from their style, and from there on, seek to impose ours.
Result streaks: “The two teams want to break the draw streak, they and us, they can be worth the draw, but we want to win now. In our positioning in the table it demands us to improve to progress, the demand and the need is for both of us, but for us playing at home it demands much more. We must be better and win this match ”.
Chukwueze and Kubo: “I have the advantage that if you remember what I said at the beginning, it is being fulfilled. They are young kids and each one has its own rhythm. A settlement process is needed and that is not done in a month or a year, it is something you have to work on. We have Samu who was a big irruption, but this year the preseason was brilliant and in the league it is irregular. Debuting and highlighting is not the same as being the one who should highlight each game. We are with him, working hard, he is a very good boy, and we want him to grow and show the quality he has. The right is better than the left, it is its natural side, but we continue to grow ”.
Kubo: “Kubo is similar although different, a lot of demand in his environment, but I am more patient. We know that his position is right, but we want more things and we work with him all that. It must adapt to the demands and to Villarreal and their demands. When I see that a player is flattered too much, I try to reduce that euphoria, and I am very close to them when they are down ”.
Rotations: “The league has priority over the Europa League, there are players who play more league and other Europe. On Thursday they played very well, now we will see what happens tomorrow, some players will repeat and others will not. Although we will try to line up the best eleven ”.