Julen Lopetegui, coach of Sevilla, feels excited about his team in a special competition like the Europa League. The Andalusian team faces West Ham in London on Thursday with the aim of defending the 1-0 they achieved in the first leg at the Sánchez Pizjuán. The Basque coach has warned that it will be a tough and complicated game against a good rival and he is sure that his team will have to suffer to get through the tie.
“We are on the eve of an important game, tough, beautiful, complex, big… West Ham is the best rival in the pot and has been at a very high level for two years. They are going to make things difficult for us because both we want to move on to the next round. We want to play good football and overcome them by playing a good game against a team full of good players”, Lopetegui insisted at the official UEFA press conference.
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In addition, Sevilla will have significant support at the London Stadium, some 1,000 Sevilla fans before whom he hopes to be up to the task: “We hope that those who come on a trip and those who stay at home are happy, but for that we have to do many things well. It’s going to be different from what we saw in Seville. We have to give answers to all the difficulties and be able to play a great game, which is what the rival and the tie require”.
Lopetegui, analyzing the rival, commented: “I expect a team that is going to make things difficult for us. They will play their tricks. They have definitive players in all the lines and of a high level. They are complete, they handle many game concepts. The most important thing It’s what we’re capable of doing and doing it well. We don’t think about the result, just playing a good game. The rest is a consequence. Give the game what you need at all times, attack and defend well”.
Finally, the coach from Nervion specifically referred to Fernando and Montiel: “Fernando is in the squad and to help us. We’ll see how and we’ll decide tomorrow. He’s been having problems for weeks but he’s discharged and we’ll make the relevant decisions Montiel also has a medical discharge and has come, like Fernando, although it is not the same to be with several training sessions than to come with nothing. There are always alternatives for certain moments and positions”.