Sarabia criticises the 'clumsiness' of appointing a Cantabrian VAR referee for Saturday's match

Elche coach Eder Sarabia stated on Friday that, in his opinion, appointing a Cantabrian referee as the VAR official for the match against Burgos at El Plantío this Saturday is an "unnecessary clumsiness."

The Elche team leads the Segunda División with a two-point advantage over Racing de Santander, who are third and a direct rival for promotion. "It's unnecessary, because whatever happens, he will be in the spotlight. Appointing another referee would avoid these issues," added the Basque coach, who emphasised focusing on "a beautiful match against a great rival."

Sarabia chose not to delve further into the appointment of López Toca, noting that he and his team should focus "on what we can control."

On another note, the coach acknowledged that he has always enjoyed playing in Burgos for its atmosphere, despite never having won there. "They have a fan base that, regardless of performance, always supports and cheers for the team," Sarabia remarked, adding that Burgos, despite having little at stake in terms of standings, will challenge his team "from a position of calm."

The Basque coach assured that his team is "feeling good" physically for the final stretch of the season and is prepared to handle the pressure of the last few matches. "We are focused on what we can control. Every team would trade places with us. We are where we wanted to be and how we wanted," commented the coach, adding that Elche has shown throughout the competition that it is capable of delivering "many versions" depending on what the match requires.

Finally, Sarabia stated that his team's last two results, in which they failed to win after a great winning streak, have "re-energised" the group and raised their level of demand during the week. "They have elevated the level, taken care of the details, and put more effort," said the Basque coach, who described Burgos, their next opponent, as a "tough" adversary.

"They may not be at their best in terms of results, but they had a very good previous run, with some of their individuals in top form, and they always make matches very difficult for their opponents," explained the coach.