Marcelino: “The break won’t impact the pace we play at”

Marcelino García Toral insisted Athletic Club will have no issues in playing at their typical tempo on Saturday night despite the fact they have gone three weeks without a fixture.

The Lions’ international break was elongated by a week after their Matchday 9 clash with Real Madrid was called off. Athletic return to LaLiga action on Saturday night, facing Villarreal CF at home in Bilbao.

“The break won’t make us change our way of playing, nor will it slow down the pace we play at,” Marcelino said at his pre-match press conference on Friday. “We have an extraordinary squad, which is fully prepared for the match.”

Athletic’s opponents, Villarreal CF, won the Europa League last season and currently sit in 12th place in the LaLiga Santander table with 11 points.

“Villarreal have one of the most complete squads in LaLiga,” Marcelino said. “They have a great coach and quality players.

“Like us, they concede few goals and they have a lot of firepower up front. They’ve only lost one match so far and I’m certain they’ll be in the top half of the table come the end of the season.

“We’re not worried about them, but we do respect them. We have enough ability to win the match tomorrow.”

It is the first time since March 1, 2020, that The Cathedral can host a maximum capacity crowd. Curiously, the last fixture played at San Mamés without restrictions was also a LaLiga Santader meeting with the Yellow Submarine. It will also be Marcelino’s first time seeing San Mamés at full force from the home dugout.

“Playing in a full San Mamés is a big motivator for us,” Marcelino added. “In my case, it will be the first time experiencing it like that as Athletic’s manager.

“We’re working to make sure we can mark the occasion three points and give our great fans a victory tomorrow.”