LOPETEGUI: "WE WILL TRY TO FEEL THAT ENERGY AND SPIRIT THAT ALL SEVILLISTAS WILL HAVE TOMORROW"

13/03/2021

The manager offered no clues about his squad for tomorrow's match, and acknowledged that Betis are "on a run of good form"

At the press room at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Julen Lopetegui has today given his pre-match press conference on the eve of El Gran Derbi. Ahead of such a special match, the manager stated that "we are aware of what the derby means on an emotional level in this city, for the two teams. But it is a LaLiga match and we'll approach it as we always do, with the excitement and ambition of achieving our aim. Our opponents are on a run of good form, with a good manager and good players, but what's most important is what we'll do tomorrow and we have to focus on that".

The final training session saw absentees such as Lucas Ocampos, but the manager did not give out any clues about his squad for the match: "We'll wait. There's more than 24 hours to go and each hour that passes is important for analysing the fitness of each player. We're coming into this on the back of a very intense run of matches and we are going to wait a little bit before making the pertinent decisions for tomorrow".

Lopetegui then focused on the opponents and their manager: "Betis are in very good form, they are full of good players and have a good run of results. They are there on their own merit and they're fighting for their objectives. We all have to keep on earning merit until May and from then on, everyone will earn what they have to earn on the field. They have talent and ability and they're performing, but we're focusing on the collective, which always has its nuances. The quality of their manager and his experience is beyond any doubt. His experience does not fall on deaf ears and it shows. What we can control is what is up to us, and that's what we need to focus on".

"There's more than 24 hours to recover and we are going to wait a little bit before making decisions"

Of course, the manager needed to make reference to the second behind-closed-doors derby in Nervión: "Unfortunately, such a beautiful and passionate match, one of the most important derbies in the world, cannot be played with fans, but that's how it goes. We will try to feel that energy and encouragement that all Sevilla fans will have tomorrow". After acknowledging that Papu Gómez is well and "adapting to different roles", he spoke about the recent run: "Seasons end when they end and partially analyzing them does not lead to any situation. We're coming into this after competing intensely and we have to keep doing it. We're focusing on LaLiga and we're so excited and keen for tomorrow because we are aware of what the derby means. The aim is to be ready for those demands".

The fact that the calendar is somewhat less congested may have a positive side: "Since 18th September we have been playing every three or four days and we have been able to go as far as we could in those competitions, but we would have liked to have gone even further. It's true that we still have Wednesday and Sunday matches because of the season being condensed. We will try to take advantage of each minute to improve our performance. When we have time to train, we will try to benefit from it".

"It's one of the most important derbies in the world and we have to play it without fans, but that's how it goes"

To finish, he wished to steer clear of naming a favourite: "All derbies are even, complex and full of passion. They all have that nuance because there are two good teams, as well as the emotional and passionate aspect. The media won't have any influence on what happens tomorrow, but the players will. We're focusing on the game and the football, but everything else is out of our control, even though it is part of the bigger picture. The reality of football is the demands of both players and teams".