Both Demichelis, who has been absent with the Club’s permission, and Kameni, who was playing for Cameroon, returned to training today. Internationals, Monreal, Isco and Santa Cruz are still with their national teams. Reserve players, Álex Portillo, Samu Castillejo, Sielva and Pedro were also again training alongside the first team this morning.
Baptista, Seba and Toulalan continue with their recovery from injury, though the French-born player underwent continuous running with physical trainer, Enrique Ruiz.
Today’s session consisted of running, stretching, various physical exercises, defence-attack work and a practice match. Another training session is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. in the Ciudad de Málaga Athletics Stadium.
Statements by Joaquín
(League break) "It was nice to have a bit of time off, after a pretty intense start to the season. We’re now back to work and fully focused on the League and Champions League, and hoping to gain as many points as possible. Having some time to relax is always a good thing. We had a busy start to this season, what with the Champions play-offs and the League. It’s been great to just take some time out and prepare for the tough few months ahead up until Christmas, which is a crucial time for us, to earn as many points as we can and keep focused on playing great football.”
(Pleased with the team’s performance) "From a personal point of view, I’m pleased with our performance so far this season; I think I’ve been playing well. Everyone is so committed to the team and passionate about what we’ve achieved so far, and what lies ahead of us. We’re all very happy in the locker room at the moment, as everything is going to plan.”
(Levante) "They’re definitely a tough team to beat, and will make things very difficult for us. They performed well last year, and are proving to be a very good side so far this season, especially in home games. It was hard for us to beat them last year at home, but we’re going out there with the same philosophy as last time; try and maintain possession, play our style of football and avoid creating goal chances for them. We’ve got a good reputation, and hope to create as many opportunities to score as possible. They’ve got some great players though, so it’s not going to be easy.”