Mendilibar: I would ask that 2017 be at least as good as last year
The Eibar coach has named an 18-man squad featuring all of his available players, in view of the absences of Ramis, Juncà, Dani García and Sergi Enrich
SD Eibar coach, José Luis Mendilibar, today spoke of his hopes that 2017, "be at least as good as last year, which overall was a good year for the club".
Speaking in the build-up to tomorrow's Copa del Rey clash at El Sadar against Osasuna, Mendilibar revealed that he is unable to call on the injured Iván Ramis, David Juncà, who is suffering from flu, Dani García and Sergi Enrich, who are both carrying knocks which look unlikely to affect their availability for this weekend's game.
Meanwhile, the Armeros' boss is able to recall goalkeeper, Asier Riesgo and central midfielder, Fran Rico, following their returns to fitness.
Mendibiliar has named the following squad for tomorrow's game: Yoel, Riesgo, Capa, Arbilla, Dos Santos, Gálvez, Lejeune, Luna, Fran Rico, Escalante, Cristian Rivera, Adrián, Rubén Peña, Pedro León, Inui, Bebé, Nano and Kike García.
Ahead of the trip to Pamplona, the Eibar boss sought to highlight the importance of the competition, "both for us as a club and for me as the coach, it allows me to keep all of my players in shape". "We know that if we get through this round, we'll then face another tie. We'll end up playing a lot of games, but if the players are fit, we'll be able to cope with it".
"I think that it's also an important game for Osasuna. Getting past Granada was significant for them because they came into that game on the back of a very poor run of results and that will have boosted their confidence. For clubs like Osasuna and Eibar, the most important thing is La Liga because we know that sooner or later we'll get knocked out of the cup, and the key thing for clubs like ours is to retain our top-flight status. However, given how long they've got to wait until their next game, which isn't until next Monday, they'll be giving this one a lot of importance and will come out and look to compete, particularly in the first leg".
Mendilibar went on to reflect on his spell in the Osasuna dugout. "Things went very well. We had four seasons there and in the last one we were fired after Matchday 3. In particular, the first two years were outstanding, the team performed well and things worked really well with the club's board. With the changes to the board, things didn't go as well as we hoped, but in terms of the supporters, facilities, proximity for us and the way the club was run, it was really good there".
"In all respects it was somewhere we were all delighted to be. El Sadar is a ground where the supporters get behind you and help you at all times".
When asked about Jota Peleteiro's departure, after the midfielder was recalled by English side, Brentford FC, the Eibar boss stated that he was, "the only player who could leave without our consent, in view of the contract that that was in place with Brentford".
"If nobody else leaves, I don't expect anyone to come in, unless we sign someone, not just on a six-month deal but rather for the future. With the squad that we've got, we're capable of managing well enough".