Hope and enthusiasm has gripped the Betis team since last Sunday's victory against Espanyol; consequently, the visit to Mestalla on Saturday to play against Valencia CF is considered a great opportunity by the squad to confirm their hopes. These were Jordi Figueras' declarations when he appeared yesterday in the press room at the Benito Villamarín Stadium. Amongst other things, the Catalan defender spoke about his good feelings about the three defender formation proposed by Calderón against RCD Espanyol; he also spoke about the possibilities of staying in the First Division.

Victory against Espanyol: "It was a big step forward for us in terms of morale. Before Calderón arrived our morale was very low. Right from the first day he has told us he wanted us to be happy and for us to smile again. In that way we would win. Against Espanyol we played very complete match, the whole team. Now we want to continue getting points in threes, starting this Saturday”.

Strengthened morale: "Being happy in the training sessions makes you forget for a while the situation we are in and everyone can bring out the best in themselves. The boss believes that this is best for the team".

N’Diaye: "He is tremendous. He had a great match. He was attentive and watched my back and Amaya's. We have only been together a short time but you can see he is powerful physically. Also he was very skilled when clearing the ball. Let's hope he continues like this".

Criticism on your performance: "The mistake made against Rayo clearly affected the second goal. During the match I thought the team in general and me in particular did very well. Everyone makes mistakes. The match against Atlético de Madrid really brought me down. The fans are important ones. If that's the way they think it's because I made mistakes. We are not having a good season. It would be unjust to centre on just one player. All my team mates would say the same".

The formation with three defenders against Espanyol: "During the week we had a few problems in the beginning. But we resolve them as the match drew closer. It worked out well. In the first half they controlled the midfield a little more because there were a few things we weren't too clear about, but in the second half we were totally in control. When you're not training on the same system every week you can have doubts, but we played a very complete match and we feel quite good about the system used on Sunday. What I like the best was that we all helped each other when it came to putting the pressure on”.

Will it be repeated in Mestalla?: "That one is for the Boss. If he wants to talk about that he will. If he doesn't say anything we shall see on Saturday".

The team's physical condition: "Whenever you only have one match to prepare during the whole of the week you do it better. Psychologically when you're winning you see things from a different perspective. If you do things well you don't have to run as much as when you are losing. Physically the team is good".

The match against Valencia CF: "We have been watching videos throughout the week to see how they play. We know that their wingers are very offensive and we have to be on our guard. Every manager has his recipe. Calderón gives tips to keep in mind during the game".

Insurance in defence: “The best games we have played is when we pushed forward and put the pressure on our rival, initiating the move to put pressure on with the forwards. We feel much better in defence when those up front are making an effort. That way we recover possession of the ball in our rival's half and do more harm”.

Two consecutive away games: “We have seen that the fans are behind us right from the start of the match. On the day of the match against Espanyol, when everyone thought we were finished, nearly 40,000 spectators came to the Stadium. The route from the hotel was spectacular. The motivational boost you get is spectacular when you go out there and win for them when they are the ones who suffer for you. We want to save Betis and we suffer just like they do. If we get something positive out of the next two matches those who thought we were dead will have to think again”.

Has the best Rubén Castro returned?: “It's true that our chances of saving the team increase significantly when he is around. He is a different player. He was off for a long time. Jorge Molina has also scored a lot of goals and he is not getting the recognition he should for doing so in such a complicated season. In the last two matches we have seen that when Ruben has had the chance he has put them away. That is vital for us”.