Unai Emery sees the knockout competition as an opportunity to compete for ‘a very sweet final prize’
Unai Emery appeared in front of the media ahead of Round One of the Copa del Rey, which will take place tomorrow (7pm CET) in Riazor against Victoria CF, a historical club of Galician football who are currently in the Preferente (the sixth tier). These are the standout comments from his press conference:
The Cup
“We’re going into this competition as a chance to compete, to find a journey where there’s a very sweet final prize, with top teams, and access to Europe. A title always is something prestigious that stays in the history books. We’re not the main favourites to win this competition, but we are candidates.”
The opposition
“Being able to compete from time to time with top-flight teams is a prize for sides from the lower divisions. We have maximum respect for the cup and for the teams who are taking part. The idea is to make a few changes in the team, but continue working hard. We will analyse the opposition team, within the possibilities we have. There are footballers who are coming back from injuries and they need to play.”
Speaking to the squad
“We’ve been realistic about the season that we have. We have the chance to enter in the second stage of the UEFA Champions League. The Manchester United result doesn’t have to stop us from seeing the good things we did. The same thing happened with Barcelona. We shouldn’t be frustrated without being self-critical. The players are also giving their opinion in an assertive way. We’ve also spoken about the cup, which gives us the chance of winning a title. If we take steps forward, January will be a tough month in this competition, and we need to be ready.”
Gerard
“Progressively, he’s been taking part more in the training sessoins. Tomorrow, he’s in the squad. We want to avoid him getting injured again, we want him to adapt physically to the demands of the games and for him to help us with his qualities.”
