Queremos mantener nuestra buena racha en LaLiga

Valverde aware of the importance of the match against Real Madrid, emphasizes that «we know the difficulty it entails but we want to keep adding points»

After advancing to the Europa League semi-finals, Athletic returns to competition away against Real Madrid CF determined to hold onto the fourth place in LaLiga. Ernesto Valverde faces tomorrow’s match with the clear goal of securing the three points despite playing the third game in six days: «We want to continue our journey in LaLiga knowing the difficulty of this match and considering the matches we have already played. We played on Thursday night and now we have to go to the Santiago Bernabéu to face Real Madrid, who have been eliminated from the Champions League. Every time these teams lose a competition, it seems like a terrible earthquake, but this team can be champions of LaLiga and the Copa del Rey. After the elimination, they will be hurt and will try to take the three points at home.»

Asked about Iñigo Lekue’s participation in the match against Rangers FC, this is what the red-and-white coach replied: «From the outside, people are free to talk. For us, Lekue is an important and completely reliable player. He is a guarantee for the team, and in certain moments of pressure, we know he will respond. What is important for us is what Iñigo means to us, which is a lot.»