Marcelino: “We must bounce back quickly”

Athletic Club head coach Marcelino García Toral said it was imperative that the Lions put Sunday’s defeat to Celta behind them as quickly as possible.

Los Rojiblancos travel to Andalusia where they will face Cádiz CF at the Nuevo Mirandilla on Thursday night at 20:00 CEST.

“We must bounce back quickly,” Marcelino said at his pre-match press conference. “The loss was a tough blow, but now we have to pick ourselves up because tomorrow we have another game we need to win.”

Cádiz are 16th in the LaLiga Santander table, a run of positive results, including a recent 0-1 win over FC Barcelona, means their spirits are high. Marcelino warned it will be a “difficult match”, with the Andalusians in “their best moment of the season”.

He said: “Since Sergio Gonzalez’s arrival they’ve been in good form and we’re going up against the best Cádiz of the season, that’s what the results say. As a team with a very high level of confidence, they’re going to push us to be as intense and motivated as possible. If we don’t manage to give our best, we won’t get a positive result.”

With six games to go until the end of LaLiga, the Lions are still playing for seventh place. Marcelino promised the side would not down tools, saying: “Regardless of the difficulty, the teams in front and not achieving favourable results, as professionals at Athletic it is our duty to represent this Club to the best of our abilities in every match.

“We have to try to get as many points as possible and the first three are tomorrow.”