De Marcos: “We're motivated and prepared”

Defender Óscar de Marcos said his teammates are "motivated and prepared" as they get set to face RCD Mallorca for the Copa del Rey trophy in Seville on Saturday night (22:00 CEST).

After a great run which has seen Los Leones knock out FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively, the no.18 is expecting a difficult encounter against Javier Aguirre's side.

"Finals are always complicated. To win them you have to play a great game and give everything on the pitch," De Marcos said in a press conference on Wednesday morning.

"Nobody owes anybody anything here. We'll try to play the way we play and enjoy this reponsibility we have."

On the eve of the big clash, Óscar remembered his past teammates and other former Athletic players who have helped paved the way to this final at La Cartuja.

He said: "Three days before the final, we know we're the face of this match, but I'm thinking about many former teammates who have been here before.

"Some never made it to the final, others got this far, some with me, and we never took that last step. They lived through much more challenging situations so that today we can enjoy this Copa final today. If things go well, it would be down to them too.

"We're all just passing through this club and trying to leave our own legacy."

Aware of the thousands and thousands of Athleticzales travelling down to Seville, the defender reiterated that keeping the right mind-set will be key for everyone.

"We have to go to Seville with the feeling that we're playing at San Mamés," he added.

"I see that people are very excited, just as I am. The mind plays a very important part, because of the responsibility and desire that you have as a player, especially if you are an Athletic fan like me.

"Managing the mind in these situations is complicated, but that's what we have to work on."