GARCÍA PIMIENTA: "WE'RE UP AGAINST A VERY GOOD TEAM, IT WILL BE A TOUGH TEST"

Xavi García Pimienta, our Head Coach, spoke to the media at the pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Atlético de Madrid. He began by highlighting, "We’ve had two poor results, we know how difficult this next match will be, and although it was a tricky start to the week, we’ve been fully motivated since Wednesday to stay focused on the demands of this game. They’ve also had a few setbacks recently, but they have plenty at stake in their bid for the league title. We're up against a very good team, it will be a tough test for us to try and turn our situation around and give our fans something to cheer about."

"Juanlu took a slight knock to his hip yesterday, we’ll see how he's feeling tomorrow but there shouldn’t be a problem. Suso finished yesterday with some discomfort, and he hasn’t trained today as a precaution. We’ll assess everything, but they don’t seem to be serious issues," he added regarding the absentees from training.

"We need to be brave and efficient while conceding as few as possible"

García Pimienta also stated, "It was a tough defeat last Sunday, and it was hard for the fans. The president and the sporting director, who have always been very close to me, have given me their full confidence to continue with what’s ahead, which is now Atlético de Madrid."

Regarding the opposition, he remarked, "We’ve been able to mix spells of being under pressure with moments of dangerous counter-attacking, because we have that quality. We’re a good team in terms of our collective play, and I think in most of our matches, we’ve had the majority of possession, which shows that we feel comfortable on the ball. We need to be brave in doing what’s required, we need to dominate those areas and be effective in front of goal while conceding as few as possible. That’s the challenge for Sunday."

"They're not in their best form, but a win would really change things for us"

García Pimienta pointed out, "We have nine games left, 27 points to fight for. We're up against a team that aren't in their best form, but it will still be very tough. A win would really change things for us, we still have plenty to fight for."

"Saúl is an important player, a captain, a leader, he was unfortunate with his injury, but he always trains well, works hard, and gives us versatility. He has a lot of experience of playing in big matches, and in this final stretch of the season, he’ll be very important for us," he concluded, referring to our midfielder.