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Moreno: "We have used the break to work hard"
The coach prepares his team for Athletic Club
RCD Espanyol play Athletic Club this Friday in the game that rounds off Matchday 23 in LaLiga. Before the encounter at San Mamés, coach Vicente Moreno gave a press conference on Saturday to preview the important away fixture.
The coach is waiting to see if Pedrosa, Aleix Vidal and Calero will be available to him, as they recover from respective injuries. Moreno commented that "There is still one training session left. Some won't make the cut, but others will."
One player who will be missing is Raúl de Tomás, who is suspended for the trip to the Basque Country. There are several candidates to replace this season's top scorer.
"Loren and Dimata? Both of them could play, but Wu Lei and Javi Puado are also options. I haven't decided one hundred percent yet," admitted Moreno, as he attempts to mastermind a first win of 2022.
"We are in February. Everything can be looked at in many different ways. We always draw conclusions and study whatever we do. We have taken advantage of this time off to work hard, and the most important thing is that this shows through on the day of the match. It will be difficult, but also exciting. Athletic Club are in good form, and are one of the strong teams in the league."
Athletic Club play a Copa del Rey semifinal next Thursday, leading to speculation that they may make changes to their first XI.
"You will have to ask Marcelino if they will rotate players. We only worry about ourselves. However, Athletic Club have a clear idea of their style, whoever plays. They are the team that cover the most kilometres and have the highest intensity, as well as playing good football. We have to be at our limit to show our football, which is strong when we are at our best. We will try to exploit a plan that can hurt them. When we give the maximum, we can beat anyone."
A win would be a big boost to Los Pericos, who could begin a rise back up the table.
"The line is very narrow. It is down to two points, here or there. A difference of two or three points stands between us and teams like Valencia, Athletic, Rayo... Teams that usually get a lot of praise from everyone. We are close to approaching the other side of our form. That has to be our motivation and our desire."