Valverde: "We need that positive momentum from winning matches"

Ernesto Valverde is hopeful Athletic Club can bring their current run of poor form to an end, insisting he has "a great team" at his disposal but they need to "get results" to improve their confidence.

On Saturday evening, the Lions travel to San Sebastian, where they'll face rivals Real Sociedad at Anoeta in the first Basque Derby of the 2025/26 campaign.

"It's true that we're not on a good run in the league," Valverde admitted.

"We're a great team and all we have to do is get results. If we look at the standings, we're not doing badly, but we want to do better.

"To do that, you have to win, and we need that positive momentum of winning matches. We want to make the most of tomorrow's opportunity.

"Everything moves so fast, so you always have to pick yourself up and go again."

Real Sociedad are currently 17th in LaLiga, level on points with 18th-placed Valencia CF, but the gaffer believes the San Sebastian side's current situation isn't an accurate reflection of their ability.

He said: "La Real haven't started well in terms of points, but I think they're actually playing well.

"There's not a lot of difference between a large group of teams in LaLiga, and any detail can win or lose you any match.

"Considering the signings they've made, and the fact that the manager is also new, they have to adapt, but they're in good form compared to all the teams that desperately need points.

"Not playing in European competition means they have a little more breathing room between matches. I expect that over time they will move up the table."

Valverde reiterated that form goes out the window when it comes to derbies, stating that these matches "always end up being evenly matched, no matter how far apart the teams may be at certain points".

"They're matches that both teams want and need to win," he continued.

"These are matches that transcend the league table because there's a significant emotional element involved. We have to know how to handle that. We're two teams that go hard into duels and there will be a lot of second balls. We have to be attentive."