Firstly, Roque refers to the point gained from Tuesday’s draw with RCD Espanyol at the Cornellá-El Prat stadium: “It’s important that we showed a change in attitude on the pitch.  We took a crucial step forward in our quest for goals.  I’m confident we’ll soon return to winning ways.”
 
The match against Real Betis is particularly significant for the Paraguayan-born striker, as well as the need for victory: “Playing against your former team always makes for a special match.  We’re really looking forward to playing at home on Sunday and giving our fans a long-awaited win.”
 
Santa Cruz is wary of the difficulty of overcoming a team that hasn’t had the best run of results of late: “Betis aren’t going to change their style of play or their philosophy for this game.  We’ll be up against the same strong team they’ve always been, and although we’re expecting a difficult match this weekend, we’re prepared to win.  It’s vital that we concentrate on our job on Sunday.  It’s going to be a classic derby match and we’re confident we can keep the three points at La Rosaleda.”
 
Roque believes a home game is fundamental in order to kick off a winning streak: “We’ve got the added bonus of our fans’ support at our home ground.  Their loyalty to us is really second to none, so we’re hoping to reward them with a win.”
 
Santa Cruz is aware of the importance of Sunday’s game, although he doesn’t want the pressure to affect the team: “Pressure at the top and bottom of the table is very much the same.  Experience allows you to cope with the pressure slightly more, and it’s crucial that we don’t let it get to us and adversely affect our performance.  Sunday’s three points are vital.”
 
Lastly, the ‘Malaguista’ striker believes the team’s bad run of results is coming to an end: “I believe the team feels much more comfortable on the pitch when there’s one striker, although the formation can also work with two.  We’ve got some powerful players upfront.”