Arbilla: "Both of us come into the derby in fine form"
The Armeros' defender insisted that "we've turned a few heads when we've performed as we can against every opponent"
Speaking today in a press conference held at Ipurua, Anaitz Arbilla declared that both SD Eibar and Athletic Club, who meet on Friday at San Mamés (21:00 CET kick-off), are "in fine form".
"We need to assert our game and know that we're capable of doing so. We've turned a few heads when we've performed as we can, both at home and on the road, against every opponent".
Arbilla stressed that the team will have to play with "real intensity and not allow Athletic any breathing space, play down the flanks and get a lot of balls into the box, because we know that we've got quality players up top that are keen to get amongst the goals. We'll also have to defend well, keep it tight and mark their players closely, especially Iñaki Williams, who we know is in a rich vein of form".
"San Mamés is a tough place to go to for all visiting teams and not many manage to come away with a win. Particularly in the derby games, Athletic manage to find a special gear. Athletic are looking to become a force in the Basque Country and we'll be trying to counter that".
"In the last two matchdays we've only taken a point but we head to San Mamés aiming to turn things around, put that behind us and try to get the three points, which will give us a real boost and allow us to pull further away from them in the table". Eibar currently lead the Bilbao outfit by two points.
"We know that Athletic are also in good form and have picked up a lot of points in the last few matchdays. We'll try and go out with real intensity. We hope that they won't have many chances and let's see if we're able to keep ourselves in the game heading into the closing stages.
Arbilla spoke of Friday's encounter as being "a very special game to win". "It would be a really notable three points for us. The key will be in us performing as we have been: with intensity and rarely giving the ball away in the middle third. "We need to assert our game and we know that we're capable of doing so, both at home and on the road".