Work to win
“We need to perform well in order for our hard work to pay off so we can win. We are where we should be within our plan of work. The only way to improve is to work hard and better ourselves every day.”
Espanyol: a good rival
“They are a demanding rival, achieving good results at home. An opponent with their potential, and players such as Asensio upfront, with Caicedo and the return of Gerard must also be taken into account. They are hard-working, balanced and with good potential on set pieces.”
Line-up / Ontiveros
“Those who have been called-up are available to play. In the case of Nordin, we’ll evaluate what his best position will be. With Roque, we thought it wise to wait a bit longer. It was a joint decision as we thought it best to wait for another week. Javi (Ontiveros) underwent pre-season training with us, he is a player who is performing well and his reward is to be included in the line-up. It has taken a good run of play to bring what is expected of him. He’s a young player, eager, confident, powerful and he has the ability to unbalance a rival.”
Relaxed and confident
“Despite being an odd week with players absent on international duty, in the last few days we’ve had the entire team available, and I see them all in good spirits with a strong desire to do well. I see their day to day work, which is why I’m relaxed and confident that we’ll have options to secure victory.”
