Mendilibar: The players are hungry for more & are in very good shape to compete
The Eibar boss has 18 players available to him for the trip to Seville
Speaking today in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's clash against Real Betis in Seville, José Luis Mendilibar declared that, "The players are hungry for more and are in very good shape to compete".
The injuries to Fran Rico, Nano Mesa, Anaitz Arbilla and Rubén Peña, who has failed to recover after spraining his left ankle during the game against Celta Vigo, mean that the Eibar boss is set to travel to Seville tomorrow with just 18 available players.
After missing the trip to Vigo, Florian Lejeune returns to the fray after overcoming bruising to his ribs, whilst Takashi Inui is back in contention after returning from his trip to Japan.
The 18 available players are: Yoel, Riesgo, Capa, Ramis, Dos Santos, Gálvez, Lejeune, Luna, Juncà, Dani García, Escalante, Rivera, Adrián, Inui, Pedro León, Bebé, Kike García and Enrich.
Mendilibar stated that this week's training sessions have gone well and that the squad, both as a whole and in terms of individual players, is "in fine shape".
The Armeros' boss revealed that he expects a tough game on Sunday because, "It would appear as if they have to win it, not so much on account of where they are in the league, but because they have failed to live up to the expectations".
In Mendilibar's eyes, if his side are able to get through the opening 20-30 minutes without conceding, or indeed if they manage to get their noses in front, their prospects of coming away from a ground where the fans have been "really getting on the players' backs" when things haven't gone their way in recent weeks, will be boosted.
"We won't be changing all that much and I believe that we'll put in a good display. Our intention will be the same as always: to have the ball in their half. . They're the home side and they'll also be looking to do the same, so let's see who manages it".
When quizzed about whether the fact that his side are not duty-bound to secure a European berth, as is the case for some of the other teams currently involved in the hunt for European football, Mendilibar insisted that, "Having a duty is a good thing, as long as it's not excessive".
"If you don't have any obligations, you perhaps let yourself go. We've got to feel an element of duty. We now almost find ourselves under the same level of obligation as them".