“We're in good form and we want to keep it going”

Yuri Berchiche insisted there are"three very important points at stake" as Athletic Club get prepared to host IF Elfsborg at San Mames, while Ernesto Valverde warned "we cannot underestimate our opponents".

If Elfsborg finished the Swedish regular season in seventh place in the Allsvenskan, their top-flight, while they have achieved some decent results in Europa League, including a surprise 1-0 win over AS Roma.

Yuri said: "This match is just as important as the rest of this phase. Three points are at stake and we know that they are important to almost guarantee qualification mathematically.

"We have the recent experience against Ludogorets, a team that apparently supposed to be easy to beat and we had to struggle a lot to get the points. At home against Slavia we also had to be at our best.

"In Europe nobody gives you anything for free and we are approaching this like a final. We're in very good form at the moment and we want to keep it going."


"We can't underestimate our opponents"
 

Ernesto reiterated that his players need to be at the top of their game, stressing that Elfsborg have enough quality to make life difficult for Athletic.

"We can't underestimate our opponents. We've been watching Elfsborg for a long time and we're very aware of their strengths," Valverde said at his press conference.

"They play well in attack and are always very organised. Their forwards are very quick and they're very dangerous from set pieces.

"Other teams may have a bigger name, but they are still very difficult to play against. We are not going to make the mistake of underestimating any team."

The Allsvenskan came to end on November 10, but the gaffer doesn't believe their inactivity will have a major impact on Thursday's clash.

He said: "It's not been long since the competition ended. They haven't been inactive for long and I think that's going to help their approach to the game.

"They have four points on the board, they need to win and for us it's a great opportunity to get another three points at San Mamés. There's no handicap in that respect."

Valverde wants to see Athletic maintain their good form in European football and "hold on" to their prominent position in the standings.

"What's done is done," he added. "We need to be focused on keeping up these results, and, as we're in the top eight, keeping our place in the table."