Unai Simón: "The derby is a magnificent opportunity"

Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simón reiterated that Saturday's Basque Derby in Bilbao is a great chance for the Lions to "open up the gap" between them and the chasing pack in the hunt for European football.

This is one of the most special fixtures of the year and while the Zurigorri shotstopper is aware of its significance he warned the players must remain focused.

"We can't say it's just any other match," Simón said at a press conference on Wednesday morning

"Beyond the three points, it's a clash with history and rivalry, but we don't have to classify it as the most important of the season either.

"The two fanbases have the same culture and both teams try to compete in the top flight with academy players.

"This is what makes the derby beautiful. For us, winning means a lot in terms of the standings and we have a wonderful opportunity to open up a gap on the chasing pack."

The Bilbao side are six points ahead of the Txuri-urdin in the LaLiga standings. But that does not make Athletic automatic favourites according to Unai.

He said: "Nobody is going to tell you that someone is a favourite in a derby and even more so when Real have been in a better place than us over the last few years.

"We know that our fans are a factor, but that doesn't mean anything. Real Sociedad have great players and a great coach and they will make things difficult for us, as they have always done".

Athletic, however, come into the derby in good form and currently sit fourth in the table.

"We're on a run of very good results and not only that, but we're feeling confident on the pitch," Unai said.

"We have been able to deal with situations in both boxes effectively and we hope it stays that way until the end of the season.

"Clean sheets are always attached to the goalkeepers and there is a bit of logic to that, but it wouldn't be possible without the way Athletic chooses to defend: pressing high up the pitch and looking to always stay in the opposition's half.

"That means that the opponent is further away from your goal and they have fewer chances to score".

Despite the "excitement and euphoria" around Athletic's recent results, Simón wants to keep his feet firmly on the ground:

He continued: "The message we always try to convey from within is that when things go badly we need to be patient because there is a strong project behind us. And when things are going well, we need to keep calm.

"We're at the halfway point of the competition and we can't draw conclusions yet because there's still a long way to go".