LOPETEGUI: "GRANADA'S SEASON IS NO FLUKE AND WE ARE ONLY FOCUSED ON THIS MATCH"

The coach was then asked about Jules Koundé, who had to be substituted in the final few minutes of Wednesday's win over Levante UD. However, the manager confirmed that there are question marks regarding the availability of other players: "Not just Jules, there are two or three players who could not complete the whole session and we'll have to see how they are tomorrow, whether we can count on them or not. Every hour is important and we'll assess them tomorrow. On the other hand, we are only focused on tomorrow's match. We were well-beaten by them in the reverse fixture, they compete fantastically well, they have good players and a good coach and we'll have to be at our best". Lopetegui then focused on Tomas Vaclík, and stated that "he also has a little problem with a finger, he could miss out as well. We'll have to wait until tomorrow and, depending on how they wake up, we will take the appropriate decisions in some circumstances as well as in others". 

Delving into an analysis of the match and Sevilla FC's chances, Lopetegui highlighted the difficulty of Sunday's match due to the quality of the opposition: "What we do is try to do our job in the best way possible. We have to try to beat a good team and from there, both ourselves and the players focus all our energy on the match, and that will help us against a side that competes fantastically well, with good players in many positions. Granada's season is no fluke, so we have to focus on the only thing that we can control, which is tomorrow's match". The Basque coach then highlighted the hard work of Papu Gómez in terms of settling into the club, and emphasised the competition for places: "Papu arrived in January, football is different in Italy and he has made an effort to understand and settle in, and we have all got to know him a bit better over time. From there, there is competition for places which makes both the players and the team better, and based on that we will make those decisions". 

Lopetegui did not want to speak about securing Champions League qualification this weekend, and gave a detailed explanation as to why he thinks on a game-by-game basis: "I say this because that's how it is in the world of football. The only thing that can help you is the next match, and tomorrow we are up against a team who could still qualify for the Europa League again. They beat Napoli and looked Manchester United in the eyes. Game by game is the reality in demanding competitions like La Liga". In this sense, he indicated that the present allows them to be focused as much as possible on what lies ahead: "I always tell you about the next match. We're focused on the present and the present is called Granada CF, sometimes you all think we're focused on the third match, the second match or on what we've already done. That's not true, because we're thinking on is in front of us now. This match is attractive, nice and exciting enough to be focused on going into this match at our very best". 

To finish, he praised his Granada counterpart, Diego Martínez, who coached in the Sevilla FC academy: "I have a magnificent opinion of him. Diego has done an extraordinary job for many years, his teams play good football and he has made signficant achievements".