Scepovic
"Stefan carried out group training, he will possibly travel with us, but is going to be in a similar situation to Orlando with the transfer issue in Tenerife. We need to tread carefully with the squad list, we have some doubts. He’s arrived at the right weight, he’s prepared. He’ll provide us with another alternative for the attack, which we need. He’s another member of the team who’s come to help us, I’m pleased he’s in good shape and will help us achieve our objective. You can see he’s enthusiastic and players come to Málaga to shine”.
Hicham
“It’s something we have be very cautious about. Our aim now is to look at all the options that will enable us to improve and help us in this last stage. The first issue is the player, who suffers, and our goal is that he can carry out normal training. The other day he was part of the squad list, but he didn’t feel comfortable again. If we resolve these questions, which I’m optimistic we’ll do, he will be able to help us.”
Luis Muñoz
"The key here are the training sessions. He’s a player who’s come from the youth ranks and, although a central defender, is a striker at heart. Last year he started to play as a midfielder, he’s a versatile player and we’ve found that position for him that we’ve seen in daily training sessions. We give him freedom on the attack, for him to approach with criteria. Every training session is an evolution, and we’ve found Luis in that position, and when there is a good performance, it should continue. We remain on alert, to keep improving in specific positions”.
Other players
"Ramón, when he injured his shoulder, had thee games where we wanted to strengthen the area. Now he has another issue, in the back and gluteus which we hope will disappear by next week. Right now, the shoulder is not the concern, as was the case with Ricca. We think that he’ll be able to help us. Joaquín has been doing less intense sessions during the week, Juande has also had the odd injury, which we’re adjusting for”.
Back to Logroño
“I’m going back to a place where I endured a brutal personal and professional experience. I was there on an interim basis. Whenever I go somewhere, in this case Logroño, I have many friends and it’s always special going back there. We’re going with the aim of claiming three important points against a team that in recent games hasn’t achieved the desired results, but is competing very well. In the first round they racked up six wins on the bounce, something that’s difficult to do in this division. Their coach has been there for a long time, he manages different structures and has regained players to gain possession, make crosses and keep the pace. It’s going to be a tough, tremendously difficult game against a rival who will go all out for a win. We’ll try to keep the winning mentality in our favour, and hope the small details go our way. We need to generate opportunities and stay solid in defence”.
Ambition and realism
"The players have to be ambitious. We know how tough it is facing each week. The most important thing is the next match. The team is doing an excellent job, but we have to be alert. The goal is to reach the 50-point mark, and from then on not relax for a minute. This is an ambitious group. It would be a mistake to look beyond the next match. Dreams are not impossible, but I remain realistic and the first thing is winning the three points tomorrow. Staying measured, humble and ambitious all at once. It’s not about more pressure, but we’re on alert and focused on the day to day”.
