Marcelino “We want to win three points in a packed out San Mamés”
Marcelino “We want to win three points in a packed out San Mamés”
Marcelino predicts a tough match against Alavés who “have just beaten the champions and hardly conceded any goalscoring chances”.
Athletic Club head coach Marcelino reiterated that the Lions “have to turn San Mamés into a fortress” as they look to get back to winning ways.
Los Rojiblancos face Deportivo Alavés in Bilbao on Friday night (21:00 CEST) in what is Athletic’s first derby of LaLiga Santander 2021-22.
“We hope to give our best throughout the 90 minutes and win three points in front of a packed out San Mamés,” Marcelino said at his pre-match press conference in Lezama.
“It will be a difficult match,” Marcelino said about local rivals Alavés, who go into the clash off the back of a “morale-boosting victory” over Atlético Madrid.
“They’ll play in a similar way against us, with the team defending very deep,” he added. “We’ll have to be quick, precise and sharp to open up the game. Also, let’s not forget that this is a derby, with its own inherent rivalry.”
Asked about the points lost in injury time against Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, the Athletic coach said his team “makes very few mistakes in general”.
He continued: “We made the most bad decisions against Rayo Vallecano. At Mestalla, Valencia got an equaliser because they were very clinical.
“Overall, I think the team has competed at a very good level in what has been a complicated opening period of the season, with some difficult fixtures.”
Forward Oihan Sancet and centre-back Yeray Álvarez are back in the squad having recovered from their respective injuries, however Unai Núñez and Asier Villalibre are unavailable.