Baraja: “We have to be switched on”

Valencia CF play Cádiz CF on Sunday at 2pm CEST, and coach Rubén Baraja talked to the media on the eve of the game to give his thoughts on what he expects from the contest.

The difference in rest between games compared to Cádiz

The schedule is what it is and we can't do much more about it. We have to accept it, the same as the kick-off time. It doesn't have to be an excuse. We want to have a complete game to have a chance of winning, and any complaints lead to nothing.

Fran Perez, Castillejo and Correia

All three of them have trained normally, so we will see how they feel in the last training session and we will assess their chances of playing. We are not going to risk relapses that mean there are players who will miss the rest of the season. Whoever comes into the squad has to be one hundred percent fit.

The run of six points

This is a long distance race. Getting two wins is good because it gives us the chance to get out of this situation, but the season continues. I already said it after the game.

We have to be switched on and know that every game is important. We have not achieved the objective yet and we have to continue working. The wins have to set us free in terms of confidence and feeling strong despite the difficulty, and this is the path to follow for tomorrow.

Javi Guerra

He is prepared to participate at any time, be it from the start or during the game. The other day he had a magical night, but today is another day, and tomorrow is another.

This is about sticking to the same path; it is not worth anything to do very well one day and not another.We have been telling him to keep on working, and when you work you have the chance to be in the team.

 Winning again away from home

When you have this situation, the best remedy is wins. We have to be prepared for everything. We have to take advantage of our momentum and take it into tomorrow's game.

Winning would mean getting closer to the goal and moving away from difficulty. We have to have the mentality that we can fall down again and get up again.

The type of game he expects

We expect a very difficult match. Cadiz are a very intense team, with consistency in terms of their effort. They don't give up on any ball, they put in a lot of crosses, and you have to watch the game very carefully because any detail can changes the course of the match.

We have to take charge of the game so that we can control these things. When a team attack, make crosses, have a set piece, there is a chance of an opportunity to score, and we have to control this.

We have to face the game with the desire to do things well to be able to gain points.

The defensive strategy

I am not going to enter into the debate about whether to play with four or five at the back. We will assess the situation and do what we think is best -and what brings us closer to being able to win.

Possible rotations

It is a possibility that we are considering. If anything is important when you play against rivals in your league, it is to have fresh legs and energy to keep up your intensity. The kick-off time and the heat also influence things, so we are looking at it.

The fans

Their contribution isn't 10/10, it's 11/10. My task is to make sure that we are capable of giving the minimum that is demanded of us: Work, effort and attitude.

You can win or lose the match, but you have to make them feel proud that the team compete. The fact that some people are travelling ten hours on a bus to support the team leaves me speechless.

Having 500 fans do that... in Elche at times it seemed like we were at Mestalla. The fans are spurring us on in every game and we have to keep this up until we reach our goal.