Valverde: “We want to take another step forward”

Ernesto Valverde is hopeful Athletic Club can maintain their current positive momentum by picking a second consecutive LaLiga win when they visit RC Celta on Sunday afternoon (16:15 CET).

The boss admitted his Lions are in good spirits after a win over Atletico Madrid and a draw with Paris Saint-Germain and he wants to see them carry that confidence into Sunday's clash at the Abanca Balaídos.

"It will be a tough match, but we want to take another step forward," Valverde said at his pre-match press conference.

"We're feeling good after our last few matches. Let's see if we can keep up the good form this Sunday against a tough opponent like Celta. They're a great team.

"We've got four important matches coming up to finish the first half of the season well and start the Copa the way we want to."

Celta's confidence will be sky high after their 1-2 victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu last week. Claudio Giráldez's side are always a competitive opponent and currently sit 10th in the LaLiga standings.

Valverde said: "LaLiga is very even and competitive. Every week, the three points are extremely important. We regard Celta as a great team that can always cause us problems with their quality."