Real Betis head coach has given today a press conference prior to the match on Saturday against UD Las Palmas. Mel assessed the importance of the matches before the derby on the 19th of December.

Plan to win again away: “We are not changing our plan much, whether it comes out well or not. Sometimes it works and some other it doesn’t. Our intention is to keep adding points and widen the distance with the relegation spots. It’s our main concern right now: to have a good position in the table at the end of the first leg so we can have a good second half of the season.”

Dani Ceballos: “We are happy with him. He’s taken a step forward and has left his worries behind, all those troubles that had him out. Thankfully, it’s all gone and he’s focused on his game. The last matches prove that he’s ready. Without him we are worse off, but we have players that can take his place, such as Van der Vaart, Portillo, Molina or Van Wolfswinkel, that are going to give us what we need to beat a very difficult rival. UD Las Palmas is in need of points so it’s not going to be easy”

Adán: “There will be a crucial test tomorrow. It happened before that he has trained one day and the day after he was feeling pain again. We have a training tomorrow. If he’s all right, we’ll count him in but we have to wait till tomorrow.”

Who is going to replace Bruno?: “Bruno is performing very well so far. It’s difficult to replace him. We have two teammates that can perform well too. Jordi is left footed and it gives other options other than playing with two right centre backs. We are also happy with the work that Pezzella is doing. He has not been lucky in the matches he has played but we know of the potential he has and he’s going to be very important. It’s my decision, we’ll see tomorrow.”

Vargas: “He needs to be well physically. If we want him back soon he needs to play. There’s no better training than playing. It’s a difficult decision because we are happy with Varela as well. We have three matches in a week so they’ll share the minutes.”

Are you going to leave N’Diaye out thinking about the derby?: “We are not thinking beyond the match against UD Las Palmas. N’Diaye is not going to train tomorrow because he’s having some problems. We have a situation in which he already has 4 yellow cards and is not 100%, so I’ll decide if he travels or not. Having him in the bench or playing with fatigue is taking a big risk. That’s the only reason. Tomorrow he’ll remain working inside because we can’t tire him much.”

Are worried about the match against Sevilla FC?: “Not at all. I understand that we live in this city and what is coming up. We are focused on the match against UD Las Palmas because it means three vital points for us. It would be a leap forward for us. However, if somebody doesn’t understand that the derby is trending topic already is because they don’t live in Seville or don’t know how it works.”

History as Real Betis manager in the derbies: “I’ve been in two derbies as a manager in our Stadium and we tied them both. In Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium I’ve played three times, with two defeats and one victory. Every match against Sevilla FC is one that you have to win. The main thing is to face the upcoming matches after obtaining a victory against UD Las Palmas. We also have the match in Gijon before Sevilla FC.”

The rival, UD Las Palmas: “They have changed the way they play. We know how they play and the way they try to win every match. They have very good technique and a few interesting players. We are in La Liga, though, and they are not a good position. However, they are playing well enough to have more points. If we go there thinking that we are facing the last in the table we’d be making a big mistake. They are going to go for the victory and have enough assets to do it well.”