José Alberto, Malaguista coach, held the traditional pre-match conference today, the day before the clash with Real Sporting. With a Red and White past, he was asked about his return to El Molinón: “I’m very excited to go back after almost three years. Coincidentally, last season, the day we were traveling to Gijón I was admitted with COVID-19. There are many connotations, but above all, this is going to be a very difficult game. Sporting are enjoying a great start to the season, they are one of the fastest-paced teams in LaLiga, a team with dynamic gameplay and quality players. The level is high, which is why they are where they are in the standings,” he said.

He was also asked whether the result from the match against SD Ponferradina has conditioned daily training: “Losing is part of the game, yet nobody likes to lose in the way we did last Sunday, that is evident. We’ve been highly critical of ourselves this week, that’s how we’ll grow. This has been a normal week of training, with great intensity, and concentrating on what we need to improve on.”

Lastly, he talked about the great stage that awaits the team on Sunday: “It’s such a boost, everyone wants to play at stadiums like El Molinón or La Rosaleda, which for me are the most beautiful stadiums in the division. It provides an extra motivation. Everything that surrounds the game is good for the match itself. We hope to perform better than them and bring home the three points,” he stated.