Terzić: “I’m expecting a derby full of emotions”

Edin Terzić is preparing for an “intense” derby when Athletic Club face CA Osasuna at El Sadar on Saturday evening (18:30 CET).

The Lions head into the fixture on the back of a three-match winning streak in LaLiga which includes the 2-1 home victory over Real Sociedad at San Mames last weekend.

“I’m expecting a derby full of emotions,” Terzić said at his pre-match press conference.

“We’ve prepared for an intense game and a heated atmosphere at El Sadar. But we’ve shown we’re in a good way and we’re ready to compete.

“Our main target is to bring the positive things from previous games into this one and become more consistent with results.”
 

🗣️ "It will be a derby full of emotions." 🎙️ Edin Terzić previews #OsasunaAthletic #AthleticClub 🦁 https://t.co/6Bgn19fvmq

— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) November 6, 2026

The German tactician praised his players’ recent displays, highlighting how his Lions are stepping up and performing when called upon.

He said: “In football life is easier and you get good feedback when you’re successful but we also learn from defeat and bad moments.

“We want all our players to contribute. I never think about what I’m taking out of the game, only what I’m putting in. Everybody needs to be ready to grab their opportunity and be important for the team.”

Osasuna have won once and lost twice in LaLiga since Jagoba Arrasate returned to the Pamplona club.

“The manager knows the surrounding and most of the players. He’s still looking for the right balance and system but he’s very experienced.

“They like to play compact and to press high on the pitch and they send in good crosses from both sides. They’re not far away from getting good results but we to need to avoid this as we’re also fighting for our next three points.”
 

Terzić refused to be drawn into the debate regarding recent complaints about refereeing decisions, stating that he respects “how difficult a referee’s job is”.

He continued: “I’ve said it many times. I don’t like to speak about referees. I fully respect referees' decisions. I focus more on how we could have scored more goals and how we can keep more clean sheets.”

Finally, the Athletic head coach spoke about his feelings with respect to plans to pause all matches in the ninth minute as a tribute to CD Tenerife’s late forward Jesus de Miguel.

“I can only answer as a human and not as a coach,” Terzić said. “It’s more important than football and I will fully understand and respect whatever is decided by the league.

“My heartfelt condolences to everybody who knew Jesus, who loved Jesus, to his family, his friends and to all his teammates.”