BARCELONA, 10 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The RCD Espanyol coach, Diego Martínez, acknowledged that in order to beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu they must be “with honors” and expect a bad day from an opponent who he considers to be “from another dimension”, although he believes in the chances of his team because “anything can happen”.
“We have to go out and compete at our best level, knowing that it is a match against a rival from another dimension, but anything can happen. You have to be in honors and they don’t have their day. But to compete and fight and work with full conviction in what we need to do to be able to win,” he appealed at a press conference.
The blue and white coach assured that he does not sign anything, not even the tie, before the games. “What I want is to win. If in this League the margin of error allowed is minimal, against this type of team (like Real Madrid) it is minimal multiplied by one hundred,” he argued.
“How many times do these types of teams have negative results? They’re not so bad, because they come from winning Liverpool 2-5, who beat United 7-0, who beat Betis 4-1. It’s going to be tremendously complicated.” and difficult, this type of matches are special due to the type of rival. Let’s try not to make mistakes that punish us, but with full conviction in our possibilities”, he appealed, in this sense.
Asked about the 1-3 draw in the first round at the RCDE Stadium, he recalled that they had “good phases” in that match. “Holding up in the game in such an even way was not easy, and now it is a different game. To compete tomorrow at our best level, we will have to maintain the competitive level and the conviction in our possibilities,” he said.
Despite the fact that Espanyol has not scored points at the Santiago Bernabéu since 2012, he believes that there are neither good nor bad moments to face this type of team. “We are confident in our chances and the first step to play the best game is what we believe in,” he said.
As for the pressure they have to be close to the relegation places, he believes that the positive thing about this situation is that everyone is aware that achieving permanence is an “important achievement” this year. “This keeps you on your toes. The important thing is not to overdo it, to find that fit,” he assessed.
Regarding the casualties and doubts for the game, he assured that he still does not know if he will be able to count on Brian Oliván. “We will see the last training session. Javi Puado is also doubtful because he has had a fever and we don’t know how he is going to get there. Keidi Bare and Gori are still in their process of re-adaptation to the team”, he summarized.
