LOPETEGUI: "WE ARE READY FOR WHAT ESPANYOL ARE GOING TO DEMAND OF US"

Lopetegui started by saying that "the season starts now, which is what we have all been looking forward to with. We have worked hard, with a lot of intensity and we are satisfied. The league starts tomorrow and it is totally different to pre-season, but we believe that we are prepared for what Espanyol are going to demand of us, as they have already played four competitive matches and they are going to demand that we play a great game tomorrow". 

"They have shortened their preparation period and we have to be at our best all over the pitch. They are hard-working, solid and they have very good players. We have to go with the idea that we can beat them, and we have to show the best version of ourselves", he commented on the first rival of the season.

Lopetegui continued to assess Espanyol: "They are a very good team, they know exactly what they want to do on the pitch and they have been showing it on the pitch during these games. We want to start off our league season well and tomorrow is the first step of a marathon, and we believe we are well prepared for it".

He was asked if he knew what team he was going to put out to start the game in Barcelona tomorrow: "There is always a small margin of uncertainty surrounding the starting XI, but more or less we have in our minds the team that will start the first league game".

Finally, Lopetgui assessed the transfer market, which in Spain, does not close for another two weeks: "My opinion, to be honest, has not changed. Logic would say that the transfer markets for all leagues should be the same, but we have to adapt to the reality and we will see what happens. However, what is certain, is that we are focused on the game against Espanyol".