Real Sociedad midfielder Xabi Prieto has revealed that David Moyes is fully aware of what is at stake against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
The Scot is preparing to oversee his first Basque derby this weekend, and the midfielder believes his Coach's experience of similar matches in England puts him in good stead ahead of the encounter at Anoeta.
"He has not told us about his experience in derbies, but yes he has spoken to us about the importance of winning this particular derby," he confirmed with reporters at a Press conference.
"Both teams come into this match from two bad losses last week, and it may show, of course.
"I'm sure that from the first minute we will go after them and set the pace. We want to be aggressive and get the win."
Prieto then reflected on past meetings with Los Leones and denied that Ander Herrera's departure to Manchester United was the sole reason for their struggles this season.
"For how special it was, I'd take the 3-1 from a few seasons ago. We needed to win to keep fighting for fourth place, and the victory was incredible," La Real's captain added.
"Losing Ander is a big deal for them, but it doesn't change everything, they've played in the Champions League and that's contributed to their struggles.
"However, in the last month they've improved and, despite the defeat to Cordoba, I think they're now playing better than they had done at the beginning of the season.
"You can highlight many things, other than they're a team who play well with the ball, with no less intensity throughout the match and very good individuals."
