Mendilibar: ‘There were worse rivals in the draw’

Coach José Luis Mendilibar said ‘We respect Hospitalet. As you could see in yesterday’s elimination rounds it is not easy for the First Division teams. In L’Hospitalet’s case, they were able to bounce back against Nàstic who were winning by 0-2. In spite of everything, there were worse rivals in the draw, like; the Second A Division leader, Xerez, Eibar or Lleida. With regards to the turf, we have opportunity to train on artificial grass in Lezama. As far as the dates are concerned, we are counting on the match being played on 9 November and if there is some sort of call up then we would play on the 30th ‘.

Gurpegi: ‘It will be a complicated elimination round. They are a difficult rival who are more used to playing on artificial grass than we are. We cannot afford to be careless. A year ago we lost 2-1 against Lanzarote on that surface, but there was a 2nd leg match but now it’s a sudden death encounter. The truth is that we will have to give it everything we’ve got to make it to the Round of 16.’

Etxeberria: ‘To start with, we have a lot of respect for L’Hospitalet. What’s more, the fact that we have to play on artificial grass may give our rival more opportunities. It has been demonstrated on several occasions that it is difficult to win these sudden death elimination rounds despite being in the first division. We are aware that it will be a complicated match but I honestly believe that we are the favourites.’

Fernando Lamikiz: ‘L’Hospitalet are a good team, with high level players. You must respect your rival and keep in mind that these early elimination rounds of the Copa competition are usually the most dangerous. In addition, they are going to play at home and on artificial grass, a surface to which they are accustomed to playing on. I consider Athletic to be the favourite, but without forgetting that to reach the next round we will need a lot of concentration and we must be prepared to give 100%.’