Ernesto Valverde has warned Athletic Bilbao that Espanyol “have historically posed us problems” ahead of Sunday’s encounter at San Mames.
Despite the two teams’ contrasting form guides, Los Periquitos travel to Biscay with eight wins and eight draws in their last 21 visits, prompting the Coach to urge caution from his players.
“[Espanyol] have historically posed us problems,” he said at a Press conference.
“They have been scoring away from home, try to play in an organised manner at the back and have dangerous players up top, such as [Felipe] Caicedo, Hernan Perez or [Marco] Asensio.
“They can hurt us if they find space, so it won’t be easy.
“[On facing his former team], I have a soft spot for them. I experienced a lot of good times with them and they always seem to bounce back [referring to the yearly sales of their best players].
“[Espanyol] have had more time to prepare for the game because we’re facing them barely 60 hours after [Partizan].
“Overall, the team are fine. There was a moment when Partizan’s heads dropped, which made things easier for us, but it was nonetheless a game in international competition, with doses of difficulty.
“It’ll be a challenge to get 17 points before the international break.
“Although you don’t want to stop when you’re doing well, [the break] is good for everyone as there won’t be any more stoppages until after Christmas.
“We’re not interested in an end-to-end game in light of our efforts on Thursday because it requires physical wear and we’re at a disadvantage in that respect.
“I expect [Espanyol] to be close-knit and try to surprise us on the break, but we’ll try to avoid it.”
