Firstly, the ‘Malaguista’ coach refers to the team line-up: “We decided not to include Anderson for this match, as we’ve got 20 players in the squad and can only select 16. Thankfully we’ve only got Weligton and Flávio who are currently injured. Eliseu is back in action, which is amazing news as he supports the team a great deal.”
Speaking about tomorrow’s rival, Bernd Schuster hopes his team will perform well in this season’s debut at La Rosaleda: “It’s a particularly special game as it’s at home, in front of our fans against a major rival. I’m really looking forward to seeing my team play tomorrow. We need to be brave against Barcelona and do things right; which is what we’ve been working on all week in training. I’m confident we’ll play well in this match, and it’s crucial we get off to a strong start and focus on creative game play. Barcelona always have a strong attack upfront and on the wing, so we need to make some changes to how we played against Valencia. Intensity is fundamental against Barcelona; Atlético played very well tactically, didn’t leave any open spaces and were a good example of how to tackle Barça. I’m very confident ahead of tomorrow’s game, and it’s important to stay positive. Whatever happens tomorrow won’t be a surprise, we’re determined to win our first home match, and have worked extremely hard.”
The German-born coach considers the importance of Messi’s absence: “I would have liked to see Messi play here. Barcelona have got some quality players, and their style of play will still be the same. However it’s good news for us that Messi isn’t included in the team line-up.”
Schuster also analyses two new players who made their debut at the Mestalla: “Marco and Roberto played very well, Sergio Sánchez was in the right position and put on a great performance, so we might make a few changes. Sánchez brings a lot of experience to the team.”
Finally, the Blue and Whites’ coach talks about the possibility of new signings, as well as Recio and Juanmi: “Over the next week we’re going to find another player to join our team. We’re open to a new signing, but our priority is a number ‘9’. With regards to Recio and Juanmi, we’ll be making decisions next week.”
