Julen Lopetegui in the press conference before Deportivo Alavés

LOPETEGUI: 'WE ACCEPT THIS LATEST DIFFICULTY AND PREPARE FOR A TOUGH GAME TOMORROW'

18/01/2021
'We've had another problem in addition to Diego Carlos so we will see tomorrow who travels,' Lopetegui added

Julen Lopetegui, Sevilla FC's manager, attended the media ahead of tomorrow's match against Deportivo Alavés. The press conference came after this evening's training session, a training session that was postponed from this morning after it emerged Diego Carlos had tested positive for COVID-19. As such, the team will travel to Vitoria tomorrow morning instead of this evening. Lopetegui began by assuring 'the player is feeling good, he has no symptoms and feels strong, that's the most important for us. We, as a team, have to accept this new difficulty in these circumstances that we cannot control and we have to prepare for a tough game tomorrow. This has changed our travel plans but we have to be prepared for these situations. We're coming up against a team with a new manager, good players and who'll force us to be at our best.'

Lopetegui said that he preferred to focus on what was in front of the team: 'Everything that's happened today is inevitable in these times and we have to focus on our job. We have to accept things that are outside of our control and work to overcome them. We trust the team and we are focussed on a tough opponent tomorrow - that's the only thing that matters. We've had another problem in addition to Diego Carlos so we will see tomorrow who travels.'

'Abelardo knows the club he's at very well: they're an aggressive team who look to exploit their strengths'

Speaking about Alavés' new coach and their possible play style, Lopetegui said 'Abelardo is a good coach and knows the club he's at very well, he's had a successful period there. They're an aggressive team who look to exploit their strengths. They can play 4-4-2 or with three in midfield - they vary their system. We'll see how they play tomorrow, but I'm sure they'll force us to be at our best.'

To finish, Lopetegui stated he was satisfied with the team's performance and hoped that they would keep growing and improving: 'We are still competing in all competitions in a once-in-a-lifetime season. We play a match every three days. We're excited to continue on and we know we must improve and consolidate the good work we have done. We have very little time to train but we are able to work on the things we don't do so well and become a better team.'