Anselmi confirms Lemar and Aguado absences and opens door to Houary and Buonanotte against Betis

Lemar and Marc Aguado, major absences

Martin Anselmi admitted that the absences of Thomas Lemar and Marc Aguado will force him to find solutions in midfield, although he remained confident in the players available.

«I am not going to question the hierarchy and quality that Thomas Lemar and Marc Aguado bring us, but I have complete faith that whoever replaces them will be up to the task», he said.

The coach believes these absences represent an opportunity for players who have been getting fewer minutes.

Ali Houary and Buonanotte, candidates for the starting XI

Asked about the chances of Ali Houary and Facundo Buonanotte starting, Anselmi did not rule out any possibility.

«All the players who train every day with the Elche squad can be starters at the weekend», he said.

He also spoke positively about Houary's condition, although he did not confirm who will fill the positions left vacant by the injured players.

Gonzalo Villar and Yago Santiago, awaiting assessment

The coach avoided being specific about the availability of Gonzalo Villar and Yago Santiago, explaining that there are still days to go before the match and that they are continuing to assess possible absences.

As such, their place in the squad is still not confirmed.

Sangare keeps his focus and Cepeda stands out in attack

Anselmi also spoke about Buba Sangare, who has recently been linked with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The coach stressed that the young defender is focused on Elche and does not believe there is any need to step in over the transfer rumours.

Elsewhere, he recalled a chance for Lucas Cepeda against Valencia that ended up hitting the crossbar, highlighting the importance of taking attacking opportunities.

A demanding match against Betis

Anselmi expects a difficult game against an opponent he considers one of the best in LaLiga.

The coach aims to keep control of the ball, avoid dangerous turnovers and stop Betis' counter-attacks, without revealing any specific changes to his line-up.