Valverde: “We want to take advantage of this momentum”

Ernesto Valverde believes a victory over RCD Mallorca at the Son Moix on Saturday will help the Lions to start "looking up the table".

The gaffer is keen for his players to rebuild their confidence and pointed to the spirit in which they fought for the 3-4 Copa win over Cultural Leonesa as evidence they're ready to kick on.

"We want to take advantage of this momentum. We've overcome some very adverse situations," Valverde said referring to the hard-fought comeback in León.

"It's essential to build form in these matches. The start of this second half of the season is crucial."

Los Leones now have two consecutive away matches (Mallorca and Sevilla) and two at San Mamés (Real Sociedad and Levante), with the Champions League and Copa del Rey in between.

Valverde said: "This match is extremely important given our current situation. There isn't much separating the teams. We want to win and look up the table. We need to play well because it's also vital for Mallorca."

"The importance of points takes on a whole new significance in the second half of the season. You start to lose points from the remaining matches rather than win them."

Valverde admitted the side "need to fix" their defensive performances after conceding more goals than usual in the past few matches.

"In recent years, we have always been very solid at the back, but in two matches we have conceded eight goals. That's not like us. We've talked about it. We need to be a bit more compact."

Despite this, he emphasised the importance of our 3-4 win against Cultural: "The important thing is the response, and it was unbeatable. Nobody wins easily in the Copa. The fans are behind the team. We're not getting the results we want, but we're one game away from the semi-finals."

Added to that the gaffer praised Yuri Berchiche's adaptability, with the full-back recently playing as a central defender, stating that the no-17 is "a very important player for us".

He continued: "He played in a different position, but he performs well and competes, he's a dependable player."

Alex Berenguer has returned to the squad for Saturday's match and Aymeric Laporte is expected to do the same in a week or two.