Míchel Sánchez: "At the end of the first round, we must be out of the relegation zone" | OneFootball

Girona FC travels to Seville today to face Real Betis tomorrow at the La Cartuja stadium. The red-and-white team arrives with several significant injuries: Krapyvtsov, Juan Carlos, Francés - who returned to training with the group today -, David López, Blind, Van de Beek, Lemar - with discomfort in the left calf - and Portu, who is suffering from a long-term injury. To reinforce the squad, reserve team players Andreev, Salguero, Papa, and Gibi will travel with the expedition to Seville.

In the pre-match press conference, coach Míchel Sánchez emphasized that the team needs to play a great game to turn the situation around: “We are in a complicated situation that we need to get out of by playing a great match. By the end of the first half of the season, we need to be out of the relegation zone.” To achieve this, the coach stressed the importance of dominating possession: “We need to be able to dominate possession at Betis' ground. They recover many balls in the opponent's half and are very good on counterattacks. Just being good in defense won't be enough; we need to be good at dominating possession.”

Regarding the game plan, Míchel explained that the team has resources to adapt to the current situation: “We have players who can play in different positions. We will see what is best for us. We want to play a game where the opponent finds it difficult to maintain possession.” He also analyzed the opponent: “Betis plays very well with the ball, making the games very open. I don't think it will change much from their recent visits, but there will be differences. We'll see if we are capable of earning points in a challenging and difficult setting.”

“Portu will be with us”

Despite the adversities, the locker room remains united. The coach wanted to highlight Portu's role: “Portu's injury has been a hard blow. But he will be with us. Not on the field, but he will be there. He told us in the locker room during a talk. He is a player with a great sense of belonging, like Juan Carlos. The team needs them, and they will be with us.”

Girona FC will look to earn points in a demanding stadium to continue fighting with ambition and pride, with the clear goal of getting out of the lower zone and regaining consistency in their game: “We have players to get out of where we are. Little by little, we will achieve more consistency in our matches,” Míchel concluded.