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With head and heart
Quique believes that the derby has to be played being "emotionally strong" and balance the game "with intelligence"
Quique Sánchez Flores faces the fourth derby of the season with the illusion of regaining the tone of the team and offer similar benefits to those he got in the first leg of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona.
The coach does not forget that "we had options in both games and we were satisfied with how we competed. There are many feelings in tomorrow's game. Emotionally you have to be strong and balance the game with intelligence. You have to be guided also by the brain and not just by the heart".
“Barcelona will take its best possible eleven on Sunday. We are looking for our own stability. With some more points that we surely deserve we would be talking about different things. We have the entire second round and we will try to achieve them".
Ensures that being eliminated from the Cup "has not caused us any discomfort" but the desire "to compete well because the first victory generated tremendous joy and the fans dreamed of something possible."
He emphasizes that the team believes in a new victory -"we think it's possible"- and remembers that "we have achieved difficult things this season. We do not think of anything other than competing well and achieving a great result. We have an obligation to do our best. We owe it to our fans. These are games that have to be fed little by little, but always with the clear idea of not making mistakes".
He defends that Espanyol "is a spectacular club, with neutral behaviour. We should be proud of us. We have always been very respectful both from inside and outside the club. The fan, in many situations, feels crushed, but we have the pericos pride that keeps us alive".
He recognizes that the presence these days in Barcelona of the president, Chen Yanseng, has served "to explain things and thus it is easier to understand them. We do not like to create false expectations. Frustration is one of the worst things that can happen to a human being. We must start from solid foundations and start from reality".
He also believes that there should be no problems in the stands because "our fans are absolutely consistent and know what they have to do. I have full confidence in the fans. We know how to win and we know how to lose, hopefully we will be able to connect, not only tomorrow, but also until the end of the season. We feel your support. Being of Espanyol is not easy, when one is of this team it is because there is a very internalized feeling. They make us constantly invisible, we have to overcome it to remain. I hope that common sense prevails, but it is not from our hobby where everything comes from".
Finally, he does not advance details of the possible starting line-up or the participation of Carlos Sanchez, the only signing of winter, but reveals that caution must be maintained with players like Baptistao and Sergio Garcia because they can not complete the 90 minutes.