Paredes: “We want to bring joy to the fans at San Mames"
Paredes: “We want to bring joy to the fans at San Mames"
The defender previewed Sunday's clash and said the Lions are keen to improve upon last season's home form
Athletic Club centre-back Aitor Paredes reiterated how desperate Los Leones are to turn San Mames into a fortress this season, saying the squad is well aware their home form will be pivotal.
Last season the Zurigorri lost eight matches at home, compared to seven on the road, and Paredes is hopeful that will improve this term.
"We didn't get enough points at home", Paredes said at a pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Real Betis in Bilbao (21:30 CEST).
"We want to starting putting more points on the board. And we want to be tough to beat in front of our fans. We're sure we'll do better and we can bring the fans some joy this Sunday."
The defender admitted that picking up three points at El Sadar, a stadium where Los Rojiblancos struggled last year, was a massive morale boost for the whole team.
He said: "Winning at El Sadar, after last season's results against CA Osasuna, was a great feeling. Now we're going to go for victory in front of our people at San Mames."
Paredes reassured fans he will be available to play against Betis on Sunday, saying he has fully recovered from the complaint he picked up during the Osasuna match.
"After playing the full 90 minutes against Real Madrid and Osasuna, I took a knock and needed to recover. But I'm now perfectly fine to face Betis," he added.