LOPETEGUI: "IT'S A CHANCE FOR THE GROUP TO GROW IN MENTALITY AND CHARACTER"

Julen Lopetegui was clear that the team is only thinking about tomorrow's match against Athletic Club despite Wednesday's blow: "We got off the plane yesterday and we're on another one today. That's what the fixture list does when you're playing in three competitions. We have to get our mentality right because the opponent will demand that of us. If there's one stadium where you need to be strong mentally, it's the San Mamés and that's the attitude with which we need to step onto that plane today. It's a very demanding stadium. They will push us until the end - they are very intense and are talented. They are solid both in attack and defence and against us it will be no exception. We have to go into the game in the right state of mind."

The only option is to get back up again: "Everything goes so quickly in football. We were so disappointed but what we have coming up will make us forget about that and focus on the league. Then the cup and Europa League will come around. We have to arrive in the best possible shape to the San Mamés." It has been a tough year and Suso's injury is the latest blow for the club: "We had just got him back from injury and he picked up an absurd injury yesterday. Things are going against us and when that happens all you can do is fight and remember it won't last forever. We have to focus on the players at our disposal and we will welcome back the injured players with open arms. Such a demanding season requires you to keep your spirits up."

En-Nesyri was back on the training pitch today, but only for the pre-training talk: "If he's back, we're going to lose him anyway with the African Cup of Nations. He was there for the talk today, along with Jesús Navas, but he didn't train. We hope they can be back as soon as possible as they can really help us. We have a lot of injuries but we can't think about that. We have to trust the squad and recognise this can happen in a season. Maybe we're being punished a bit too harshly but it's a chance for the group to grow in mentality, character and to become more thick-skinned. We lost the battle but the war finishes in May. We have to be ready for good moments and the less-so-good moments."

To finish up, he spoke about the role of the academy players: "We will need them in the coming games - that's why we had five with us in Salzburg and we have five with us tomorrow. We will need their help and we need them to be ready. Their opportunities will come. Hopefully they make the most of them - for themselves and for the club."