MADRID, 16 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of UD Las Palmas, Francisco Javier García Pimienta, is clear that “Atlético de Madrid's numbers at home are scary”, but he recalled that in the first leg they came out winners and that they are going to go to the Cívitas Metropolitano this Saturday to “play from one to one” and with the idea of being “brave”.
“You see Atlético's numbers at home and they are scary, so you have to be competitive and play on your own and make the game long and not lose face. They are a great team, which fights for all the objectives at the beginning of the season , League, Champions and Copa del Rey and that is why you have to go out and play and not lose respect for your rival,” said García Pimienta in the press conference prior to this match.
The coach of the Canarian team considers that they have to play a game “where what they want happens. “You have to know how to suffer when they have the ball and attack us, because they are going to create dangerous situations for us, be very organized and we must not lose face the game from the beginning,” he remarked.
“You beat Atlético by playing an impeccable game and they don't have a good day, they haven't lost at home and it is true that they are far from first position, but they are going to play for second place. We were fortunate afterwards to play a magnificent game here in Gran Canaria, to win the three points with a lot of effort, with a practically complete game,” he noted.
But the Catalan wanted to remember that Atlético de Madrid “had four or five very clear chances” in the first leg. “That day they were not successful, and that is why we have to play a very complete game and be protagonists as always and not lose face. We have to be brave, stay in the game and never leave. If we do things well, I believe that we will be competing,” he stated.
“I have not given importance to playing at the Metropolitano and we have not lost face playing away from home. We are rookies in this category and we are in the First Division to play this type of games, and the boys have earned the right to go this Saturday to stand up to Atlético de Madrid,” he admitted.
“GRIEZMANN HAS GONE BETTER OVER THE YEARS”
Álvaro Morata will not be present in the match due to injury, but García Pimienta does not forget that Real Madrid went to Gran Canaria without Jude Bellingham and still won. “They are used to playing two games a week and I don't think they will lose potential without Morata,” he remarked.
“This year they play with a very associative football and they are using that defensive intensity in a different way. They dominate all records and we will have to make a great effort to beat them, even if they don't have Morata,” said the UD Las Palmas coach.
In this sense, the coach of the Gran Canaria team also recalled that Atlético will have Antoine Griezmann, “a player of an excellent level.” “As the years have gone by he has gotten better, sometimes he doesn't intervene in the game for five minutes and when it's his turn a lot of things happen,” he said of the French forward.
“Atlético de Madrid is not just Griezmann, it has players of a very high level. They have Morata missing and perhaps he will have to throw a 'little' more gallons in this match if he participates. We, being protagonists and not losing face of the match , respecting the rival a lot and knowing what their virtues are,” he said.
Finally, regarding the incorporation of José Campaña, the coach assured that he had his first training session on Thursday and that they are going to go “calmly.” “He is more or less in good shape, he had a small 'little problem' with a muscle injury, but he has been normal for three weeks now. We are going to go progressively with him, it is true that he comes from a long-term injury and he is going to give us a plus of quality,” he concluded.