‘Malaguista’ striker, Roque Santa Cruz, held a press conference following this morning’s training session, affirming the team is focused on Monday’s match against one of his former teams, Real Betis Balompié: “Playing there will always be special to me.”
Santa Cruz is confident the Blue and Whites can gain points in Sevilla: “Monday’s game will be an important one for us, not just because it’s a derby, but because every point from now is worth its weight in gold. We’re hoping to repeat what we’ve achieved in recent matches and bring points home.”
The rival, Betis, won their last match: “They’re playing for their lives at the moment. Many people had already ruled Betis out of staying in the First Division, but seeing how much their style of football has improved recently, this isn’t the case at all. Monday’s game is a crucial one for them too, but we’re well prepared. We usually play well in derbies, and I think Betis will be more nervous than us.”
Málaga CF has suffered anxiety in recent home matches: “We always want to put on the best show we can at La Rosaleda for our fans. There’s a lot of pressure on us, not just to win, but to play great football for them, which makes us more prone to mistakes and much more nervous.”
Another factor influencing the team at the moment is the referees: “The referees have a really tough job. I don’t believe in persecuting people, and there’ll always be controversy in football. I think that players need to help the referees to make their job easier.”