Julen Lopetegui, Sevilla FC
First team

LOPETEGUI: "I THINK IT WILL BE A VERY EVEN MATCH"

06/11/2021
"The emotional aspect is there in a derby, but we're preparing for a football match as we normally do"

After a training session at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán this morning, Julen Lopetegui gave his pre-match press conference today ahead of El Gran Derbi tomorrow night. The coach began by stating that "the emotional aspect is there in a derby, but aside from that, it's a football match and we'll prepare for it as we normally do, we've got a match against a very good side". He also steered clear from naming either side as favourites: "We coaches don't use the word favourite, whoever does the best and deserves it the most will be the one who is able to achieve the objective. We're talking about an in-form side who have grown a lot, we will have to be at our best". 

Lopetegui was asked about the two sides' fixture lists: "We've gone into other matches on the back of a heavy fixture list, this will be very balanced. From there on, each team has their own style of play and we will try to impose our style on the match against a good team. I think it will be a very even match, the small details will be important without a doubt. Regardless of the emotional aspect, this will be a good football match". He also highlighted the team's game-by-game approach: "We don't think about winning a match to get out of a run of form, we think about winning each match regardless of the context, and we always try to get the three points, that's all that matters". 

"En-Nesyri could not train today, he's ruled out"

As for team selection, Lopetegui confirmed that En-Nesyri will miss out, while he wished for a speedy recovery for captain Jesús Navas, and is hoping that the team will react and become stronger as a group: "En-Nesyri is ruled out, he could not train today. We all wish Jesús a quick recovery. We regret the injuries, but we have to focus on those who can play. There's always injuries throughout the season and we have to stick together and respond well". 

He then spoke about tomorrow's opponent and the importance of the match: "We're trying to prepare for the match based on the opponent. Of course, there's the emotional aspect that we must be capable of managing, but we're talking about a good team with a solid block. Pressure exists for both sides in a derby, I don't think it matters who is at home, there are always small details but we'll live with them". To finish, he spoke specifically about the opponents' strengths: "I'm not going to go through all of them, but they've got talent in every position and have grown as a team thanks to their manager's good work".