Elche and Valencia meet at the Martínez Valero on Friday with Eder Sarabia and Carlos Corberán still in charge, a rare sight in a season when most of the last seven classified teams have already changed coaches. The two clubs have kept faith with the same men through spells of pressure, poor results and long stretches near the bottom.
For Valencia, the numbers have been harsh. The team spent five matchdays in relegation places this season and managed only one win in 14 matches between September and January. Elche’s run was not far behind in pain, going from December to March without a victory and spending two matchdays in the drop zone. Sarabia, though, said he sees his side as capable of staying in the fight, saying they could “estar en la pomada con nosotros.”
The contrast with their rivals is stark. Of the last seven classified teams, Oviedo, Levante, Sevilla, Mallorca and Alavés have already changed coaches, while Elche and Valencia have not. At Valencia, Corberán has faced fan pressure for his dismissal at Mestalla, but Ron Gourlay ratified him in February after the club’s Copa del Rey elimination against Athletic. On the Elche side, the board has shown public support for Sarabia, and owner Christian Bragarnik has kept the project intact.
That patience is reinforced by the contracts. Corberán and Sarabia are both tied to their clubs until 2027, and there is talk in Valencia of extending Corberán’s deal by one more year. Sarabia said survival would mean more to him than promotion, adding: “Si nos salvamos, lo celebraré más que el ascenso.”
For now, the meeting at Martínez Valero is less about a coach battle than a test of whether either club’s belief can survive another day in the relegation scrap.
