Today’s training consisted of continuous running, stretching, rounds, physical exercises, possession work, goal-shooting practice and a mini-match.  The players from Saturday’s game against Celta de Vigo had a less intense session this morning.  Saviola, suffering from a groin strain and Isco from an injury to his right ankle, both exercised in the gym, whilst Julio Baptista completed the majority of the session with the rest of the group.  Reserve players, Pol, Jurado, Fabrice and Óscar Sielva were in training today.
 
The team is back to work tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at the Ciudad de Málaga Athletics Stadium.
 
 
Demichelis

“Thursday’s match is important for a number of reasons, particularly for us.  I’m certain we’ll come up against a Barcelona who will pile the pressure on us from the start, but we know how to play these sorts of matches and we’re confident that we can beat them.  Barça showed they’re not invincible last weekend, and I think we’ve shown several times that we can easily overcome tough situations.”
 
“To face the ‘wrath’ of Barcelona will always be difficult.  I hope that a level of uncertainty might creep in for this second leg match, but I doubt it very much.  Barcelona are used to playing and winning games every three days.  Regardless of a win or a draw, it’s vital that we don’t let Saturday’s result get us down.  We let two crucial points go, but we are now focused on rectifying our mistakes.  Thursday will see a determined Málaga, intent on qualifying to the semis.”
 
“The pitch is worse than ever.  It’s difficult to walk on, let alone play football.  It’s impossible to play well in the state it’s in, and it doesn’t just affect one or two players on the pitch, it affects everyone.  We could easily give goals away with the pitch in such a poor condition.”

“I’ve got my feelings, my analysis and my opinions, but everyone views football differently.  We lost two important points at the weekend, and we couldn’t take advantage of our lead at half-time.  Unlike in other matches when we started off poorly and improved throughout the game, it was the exact opposite against Celta.  We took control of the match early on, but couldn’t hold on to our lead.  Despite another two clear chances to score after they equalised, we couldn’t get another goal.  We lost two crucial points.”
 
“You never know from which match you’ll earn points from.  We lost points against Rayo and Real, and defeated Sevilla and Real Madrid, when everyone thought the latter matches would be the most difficult.  When the team loses concentration and a certain level of aggression on the pitch, then we can lose to any team.  Whether we’re playing home or away, there’s not a different level of ease or difficulty regarding points.”

“To have the possibility to defeat Barcelona in 180 minutes would enhance our place on the world stage, and give us a lot of confidence, faith and optimism for the remainder of the season.”