Aitor Paredes: "We can't waste any home match"

Athletic Club centre-back Aitor Paredes said Los Leones have to make the most of every fixture in Bilbao between now and the end of the season if they are to achieve their goals.

This Sunday at 14:00 CET, Athletic face Girona FC at San Mames. The Catalan outfit are the highest scoring team in the league behind FC Barcelona and Real Madrid and Paredes insisted the Lions cannot afford to overlook Michel's side as they chase European football.

"We're taking it one game at a time," the defender said. "Now we have Girona coming up. They're a strong team and they made life hard for us at Montilivi [in November].

"Our aim is to get all three points in front of our fans, who I'm sure will support us as always. The European places are very tight and we can't let any home game go to waste if we want to fight for those positions."

With Dani Vivian suspended for accumulating five yellow cards, Paredes, who has been with Athletic since under-11 level, is in with a chance of making the starting XI this weekend.

He said: "I work hard to make sure I'm ready and available. It's a pleasure to play at San Mamés and I always try to help the team as much as I can."

The 22-year-old centre-back spoke about his first full season in senior football, reserving particular praise for the sense of camaraderie he's encountered in the first-team dressing room.

"I have found what I expected: a dressing room that opens its arms to you from the first moment and supports you at all times," he added.

"It's a pleasure to spend time and share experiences with this group and I expected nothing less. I'm very happy and I hope to be here for many more years."