Marcelino believes “if we managed to hang onto sixth place, it’d be an extraordinary season” ahead of Villarreal’s encounter with Elche on Sunday.
The Yellow Submarine lost the likes of Bruno Soriano and Mateo Musacchio to serious injuries and endured a slump in form, but they remain in the driving seat for a Europa League spot and could have the midfielder back against the Valencians this weekend, much to the Coach’s delight.
“We’ve had up to seven or eight injures this season, so if we managed to hang onto sixth place, it’d be an extraordinary season after reaching the semi-finals of Copa del Rey and the Europa League quarter-finals,” he said at a Press conference.
“Having Bruno Soriano back is a great joy since he is a main reference point and basic pillar of this squad.
“He’s gone many games without playing and his absence has been felt. We must have a little patience, but his character can help us in this important time of the season.
“We’ll see which players are going to start [on Sunday]. Right now we have several doubts over Jonathan [dos Santos], [Tomas] Pina, Eric [Bailly] and Lucho [Vietto].
“Last week we played three games with virtually the same players and are left with the satisfaction of having done well, despite adding only two points. If we beat [Elche], it’d be the best outcome for us.
“Elche have been on a wonderful run and will pose us many difficulties, but every team goes through a bad patch.
“The players are feeling well and we only need to confirm that positive image with a win.
“I hope the fans give us their full support. They’re surely aware that the team leave everything on the pitch and it’s very important to have the support of the fans from the first to last minute at this point of the season.
“This union between the team and the fans can guide us to victory and benefits everyone.”