Real Betis manager has given a press conference today before the match on Sunday against Rayo Vallecano. Mel analysed the good performance of his team so far and the confidence the team would get if they obtained a second victory in a row.

Vallecas, a difficult stadium: “Like all the rest in La Liga. There’s no easy match in this division, no matter if it’s at home or away. We got the best possible result in the previous match and we are travelling with the excitement of doing it again.”

Will be Van Wolfswinkel and Joaquín available?: “We don’t know yet. They haven’t trained with the team today. Let’s see tomorrow.”

Will your return to Estadio de Vallecas be special?: “I’ve already gone there many times. The fans have a special place for me and so do I for them. We went through hard times during the four years I spent there but we also got promoted. It’s a beautiful match because I’m going to my hometown, but I’m focused on my job and getting Betis to win. It will be important to go to the league break with three more points, it would be a boost of confidence for us. We are focused on which part of the game we need to strengthen, acknowledge their strong points and make our game prevail.”

The intensity in the starting minutes will be key for the victory: “Of course and they know it. All the teams in La Liga play with high intensity, and Rayo Vallecano specially does it so when they play at home. If we are not as focused as our rival we’ll be out the match and we won’t have any option to win. I don’t need to tell that to my players, they saw it. I had to remind them at half time in Gijon and they did it. There’s no other way to face a match other than playing, at least, as strong as our rivals. Nobody can win without intensity, even Real Madrid CF or FC Barcelona.”

Is Digard ready to play against Rayo Vallecano?: “Obviously not. He has been training this week, but when the team finishes he stays to do some extra work. He knows what he needs to do. He is a physical player, like N’Diaye or Xavi Torres. If these players aren’t 100 % ready at a physical level they are not as good and it is not a good moment for them to play. Digard needs to be fully recovered.”

Rayo Vallecano: “It’s a team with good ball control and they want to play their way. The play with a lot of tension when they’re at home. They have interesting players in the middle, such as Jozabed and Trashorras, a great ball recovery player like Baena, and good wing players, such as Bebé and Embarba. They also can count with a good striker as Javi Guerra is, and he’s scoring many goals. They also have Tito back and Nacho is playing at a great level. They’re a first division team, with many years in La Liga with the same manager. They haven’t changed their identity.”

Have you received any order from the Club regarding Dani Ceballos?: “Everything that affects the first team players are my decisions. I don’t meddle with other people’s work, and nobody has anything to say about my job.”

Joaquín’s chances of playing on Sunday: “Not many right now, starting from his own confidence. He knows it’s difficult. I don’t know if that’s going to change in the next 24 hours. If he can’t train tomorrow, he won’t play. He wants to try so let’s see. It all depends on what happens tomorrow, but it looks difficult.”

How important is Joaquín’s absence?: “It’s plain to see that he has given us an extra. He has scored and given an assist in the match against Real Sociedad. He is very important in our attacking gameplay. It will be an important absence if he can’t play, but we can’t complain. If he’s not ready, another player will. The main thing is for him to be recovered soon. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Match time: “We are coming from Second Division and we played many matches at noon. I managed Rayo Vallecano for four years and 90 % of our matches were scheduled at noon, so both teams have a lot of experience playing at that time. We played last week at noon and it we got a good result. We have nothing against that time. Maybe it’s worse to play at 4 p.m. because we need to have lunch very early. We know how professional football works and that the TV networks are the ones that pay and they choose the times of the matches. We are focused on nothing but the game.”