Ernesto Valverde is expecting a reaction from his Athletic Bilbao players when they face Real Sociedad on Sunday. "There's no better time to bounce back."
Los Leones suffered a surprise defeat at home to Cordoba last weekend but head into the upcoming Basque derby on the back of a win against BATE Borisov, and the Coach believes his side do not require any extra motivation at Anoeta.
"The game last week was a blow because of the result and our inability to create chances," he admitted at a Press conference.
"We're pretty angry with ourselves for not doing everything to win. Now we're in no man's land, but we want to be higher up the table and therefore I urge the team to [beat Real Sociedad].
"There is no better time to bounce to back than in a derby. It's a game that we all love, with a special incentive for both sets of fans.
"We'll play a lot with heart and little head, but we know in advance that both teams will give 100 percent because it's a derby.
"When you achieve major success, like Real and Athletic have by qualifying for the Champions League – you set the bar high.
"However maintaining it is difficult, especially if you lose important players. They lost Illarramendi, Griezmann and Bravo and must adapt to replace them.
"Vela is a top player and his numbers speak for themselves. If he stays off the hook and we play on the counter, we can pose them danger."
