Mendilibar: "If we win tomorrow, we can pretty much forget about Málaga as rivals"
The Armeros' coach is without the injured Sergi Enrich and has included the rest of the available players in his squad
Speaking today in his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow night's clash against Málaga at Ipurua (21:00 CET kick-off), José Luis Mendilibar insisted that if his side claim victory they will be able to forget about Málaga as relegation rivals, as a win would see the Armeros boast a 19-point cushion over their opponents and in view of their superior goal difference.
Mendilibar has to contend with a last-minute injury to Sergi Enrich, who is unavailable after injuring his right knee in today's session after falling awkwardly when jumping for the ball. Tomorrow he will undergo tests to determine the extent of the injury. In any event, he is not included in the squad and his absence brings to an end a streak of 95 La Liga appearances, all of which have come since he joined Eibar two and a half seasons ago.
The Armeros' boss has named all of the available players for the fixture and is set to announce his 18-man squad hours before the game.
"I hope that tomorrow we perform just as we did against Atlético Madrid, displaying concentration and good spirit. We'll have to go all out right from the first minute and not allow them any breathing space", Mendilibar insisted.
When asked about Málaga, he stated that "with a new manager in charge and now at the start of the second half of the campaign, they'll be in renewed spirits. We mustn't look at the league table but rather see them as opponents who'll be coming here to win the game".