Abde Rebbach says Deportivo Alavés go into today’s derby against Athletic Club with fresh momentum, a cleaner mind and the same hard target: stay in Primera. The 27-year-old winger said the win over Mallorca last weekend, sealed after Alavés came from behind, moved the team a little farther from relegation and closer to that goal.
“Nos aleja un poco del descenso y nos acerca al objetivo, que es seguir en Primera. Y bueno, nos vino muy bien. Hay que seguir,” Rebbach said. He added that the three points were a strong reward after a comeback in which Alavés found a way to turn the game around in the second half. “El equipo hizo un partidazo en la segunda parte y estuvimos muy bien,” he said.
The interview landed on the day of a derby that always carries more weight in the Basque Country, and Rebbach sounded like a player who knows the atmosphere will not be ordinary. He said he spent the San Prudencio holiday in Armentia and saw plenty of Alavés supporters in club shirts, a detail he expects to show up when the match starts. “La gente está muy involucrada con nosotros. Vi a mucha gente con camisetas del Alavés. Eso se va a notar,” he said.
Rebbach, who has been with the first team since 2022, said he feels settled in the starting XI during the season’s decisive stretch, even if the role is new to him. He is playing as a carrilero, and Quique Sánchez Flores tells him to think like a winger. That adjustment has been one of the quieter stories inside Alavés’ push for survival, with a wide player asked to take on more defensive work while still providing the drive of an extreme.
That balance matters because Alavés are still not safe. The club’s objective remains the same as it was before the Mallorca match: stay up. Rebbach did not pretend one win changes everything, only that it changes the feeling in the dressing room. “Cuando ganas siempre afrontas la siguiente semana con alegría,” he said, before adding that the team cannot lose sight of the target until it is secured.
There is also a note of defiance in the way he talks about the race. Rebbach said Alavés have never given up and remain alive in the fight. That is the line carrying them into a derby that can sharpen hope or punish hesitation. For Alavés, the margin is still thin, but after Mallorca and with Athletic next, the season has reached the point where every point sounds heavier than the last.