Albert Celades gave his pre-match press conference the day before the game against Sevilla, talking about his side, good friend and Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui, and where improvements are required.

Three red cards in as many games

"We've spoken about this with the players. We are aware of the situation and we don't want to repeat it. These are things that have hindered us; in the game against Lille it was decisive, in my opinion, and in Pamplona as well, with the amount of time that was remaining in the game. We don't want a repeat of these situations and we've spoken about this."

Conceding goals and chances

"It's a reality, especially in the last two games against Osasuna and LOSC Lille, in which we've had too many defensive problems. Our opponents have had more shots on goal than we would have liked, and these are thing that we need to improve. We are working hard to do that."

"Obviously it's a concern for us, but I insist that the stats are from the last two games. We've been playing at a good level, but it's the reality and we have to improve -especially that facet."

Facing Lopetegui

"Julen Lopetegui is a friend of mine, and someone with whom I have shared a lot. He's somebody from whom I have learned a lot, and for me he's the best coach in LaLiga. I hold him in very high esteem, and it's a challenge to coach against him.

"Every coach and every player in LaLiga knows about one another. That doesn't make it the solution for beating the opposition, however."

Things to improve

"We need to be more solid in general, then it's down to the conditions of the opponents. We faced a lot of crosses in Pamplona, and we struggled to defend them. We've seen this, talked about it and detected the problem. We need to improve."

An opening for Vallejo

"He's ready to start, definitely. He is always available for any situation in which he is nneeded. Manu is another option for the game."