Atlético and Villarreal will meet this Sunday in San Mames, in the middle of the fight for the Champions League places, and the red and whites will be looking for a victory that will allow them to continue to dream of playing in the continent’s top competition and prolong the state of happiness in Bilbao. Ahead of this pivotal clash for the Lions, Ernesto Valverde appeared in a press conference to assess his team, the opposition and even the coach he will face in Marcelino Garcia Torral.
Form condition. “After these very close matches, we have only lost Ander on the road, we will fight anyway. Our goal is to stay together, and the more we are, the better to reach the end of the year.”
The fine line between victory and defeat. “In football, you can always win and lose with anyone. It all depends on the context and how well you are. We know we are a good team and we will always compete, but the distance between winning and losing is not very big.” :
About the competitor. “We are two teams that are close in the table, we are ahead, but that is something that we do not know if we can maintain. Villarreal has always been a rival for us because they have always chosen the same positions as us ours.”
The ten years of Inaki Williams. “Ignaki performed brilliantly for Atlético that season, and then his numbers are impressive. As soon as we saw what he was, we accepted him with open arms. He doesn’t stand out, he excels.”
“Villareal” comes after falling in the cup. “They are going to react to it, the Copa del Rey is a very dangerous competition because you take risks. It happened to them and it can happen to any team and that makes them more dangerous.”
Has he or Julen? “I’m not going to say anything, but it’s good to try. If Unai hadn’t been cured, he wouldn’t have come with us. It’s been a while, but he’s fine.”
Marcelino will be ahead. “It’s an advantage that Marcelino knows our players well, because we don’t change that much. He always had a permanent job in the teams and kept them in high positions. “It is a recognizable team with good results, which also includes good players.”
The remainder of 2024 in San Mames. “It’s still hard for me to assess the year, but it’s been a good year and we’ve had a very good atmosphere in San Mamés, people have enjoyed a lot of things and are looking forward to continuing it, whether we see tomorrow or not. we can make it all happen”