Floral offering

“It’s good to do it every year, it’s a tradition. I think she has always protected us, and it’s something we have to do before LaLiga gets underway. We ask that injuries respect us, last season we had many, and above all that we have a good year and get off to a good start”.

Captain

“For me it’s an honour to be captain of Málaga CF, where I started out at a very young age. Becoming a captain is a mixture of pride and responsibility, I’m very much looking forward to it and hope it’s a great year”.

Pre-season results

“I think the results are somewhat anecdotal during the pre-season. In previous years we’ve had some very good results in the pre-season, and then not had a win until the six or seventh LaLiga match. The fans want us to win starting on Monday, from then on, they’ll forget about the pre-season results. I think we’re doing well, physically we’ve improved considerably over these two weeks, which is very important for Monday’s game”.

First rival in LaLiga – SD Eibar

“They come with players who know each other well, and who’ve been together for years, just like the coach. They are a difficult rival, who enjoyed a very good season last year. Eibar are always tough, and want to get off to a strong start like we do. It’s going to be complicated, extremely hard-fought, but we know very well what we have to do. At home, it’s important to start well. Last year we were much better when we were strong at La Rosaleda. It’s essential to kick off well in front of our fans”.

Schedule - Monday

“We’ve got two consecutive home games on a Monday. I understand perfectly why the fans complain about these times. As players, we play at any time, but there are fans who are unable to come at certain times. They aren’t great match schedules, but the only thing we can say is that we’re going to give everything we’ve got, and hope that La Rosaleda is the same as always. Last season we also played on Mondays, and there was always a great atmosphere. I think it’ll be the same this time, and we hope to respond on the pitch and start the season well”.