Vivian: "We want to be in the best position possible"

Athletic Club centre-back Dani Vivian insisted Los Leones will be "ambitious" as they look to finish LaLiga 2023/24 in the "best position possible".

After Sunday's 0-2 away win over UD Las Palmas, the Zurigorri face Deportivo Alaves in a Basque derby at San Mames on Saturday night (21:00 CET).

“Since the beginning of the season, we've gone day by day and match by match to win win every game. We're ambitious and we haven't set ourselves any limits in LaLiga," Dani said at a press conference on Wednesday morning.

"We're not sacrificing anything. We want to be in the best position possible. We know we have a chance to qualify for the Champions League and we will work hard to make that possible."

Vivian predicts a difficult encounter on Saturday, saying Luis García's Alaves outfit "work hard and give away very little". 

He said: "We're expecting a team that knows how they want to play. Their players are disciplined and have enough quality to win the game.

"We know how we want to play. We won our last two matches, but had to play really well. On Saturday, we'll have San Mames on our side and we're in good form.

"It's a derby, there's always a special atmosphere and there's a nice tension. These are matches you really enjoy. The way to make them really special is to win."

The defender emphasised the collective spirit in the dressing room when asked about the Lions' unbeaten run at San Mames, which stretches back 14 matches to the opening game of the season.

"I think it's the way we play, the way we interpret the game," he said.

"We defend and attack as one unit, proof of this are the clean sheets. Teamwork is the key to being able to play at such a high level defensively."