Elche coach: “If I thought we couldn’t beat Barça, I’d stay home.”

The Elche manager, with a past at Barcelona, travels to Montjuic with the firm intention of playing the Catalan side head-to-head and without any inferiority complex.

Eder Sarabia faces a very special match this weekend. Five years after his time on the Barcelona bench as Quique Setién's assistant, the Bilbao-born coach returns to Catalonia at the helm of Elche, convinced his team can pull off an upset: “We won't sit back against the big team. And we won't travel with the inferiority complex of the underdog either,” he stated emphatically in the pre-match press conference.

Sarabia made it clear that his Elche side will not abandon its style or its ambition: “We know they are better, but if everyone plays at their best, this Elche team is absolutely ready to win. In another sport it would be difficult, but in football anything is possible. A smaller opponent can beat a giant like Barça. I am incredibly excited and confident. We'll have to play a fantastic match... but if I thought we couldn't win, I'd stay home,” he concluded with his usual energy.

The manager indicated that his approach will maintain its attacking essence, albeit with some adjustments to counter Hansi Flick's team: “Since Flick took over, based on his style of play, I understand that it won't be a match with long periods of possession. If you analyze how they hurt you, it's usually in transition, not through possession. If they manage to pin you back in your own half, they're the best in the world. We have to prevent that from happening. But the key is to go for them,” he explained.

When asked about the controversy surrounding ticket prices for the upcoming Elche-Real Madrid match, the manager avoided entering the debate: “We play against Barça in two days. I haven't given it a second thought. I don't want to focus on that; there's still a long way to go. There will be time to talk about it later,” he concluded.

Sarabia expressed great confidence in his team's chances and highlighted the connection with the Elche fans: “People believe we can do it. They know what to expect. Maybe we'll get thrashed five-goal, but they know what to expect and they identify with that. Sure, there's a pessimist or two who might say, ‘Oh, Barça…’. But fewer and fewer of them. They're going to sit down to watch the game believing their team is going to do something special,” he noted. He also admitted to having analyzed Barcelona's recent matches against Girona, Real Madrid, and Real Sociedad to prepare for the game.

On the sporting front, Elche will travel with all available players. Bambo Diaby, John Chetauya, Héctor Fort, and André Silva, who were absent during the week, have recovered. The only doubt is Víctor Chust, who has a shoulder injury, although he is expected to be included in the squad.

Sarabia also had words of respect for Hansi Flick: “I identify with him in several ways, in the fact that he proposes different things. I think he had a great season last year even though things haven't quite gone his way this season so far. Besides, you can see that he's a consummate professional.”