Sergio Garcia believes that Espanyol can take heart when facing Real Madrid by trying to replicate Celta Vigo’s example.
Celta defeated Madrid 2-1 on Wednesday evening in the first leg of their Last 16 Copa del Rey tie in a manner that Garcia believes struggling Espnayol should take inspiration from this weekend.
Sitting 19th in the table, Los Periquitos travel out to Madrid to face Jose Mourinho’s team early on Sunday evening.
“Celta are the example, they played well and all through the game they were running, they were fortunate in front of goal and so we must also seize the opportunities that we have,” enthused Garcia to reporters today.
“We must leave everything we have on that field. Madrid will attempt to do their best at home after losing. We should be at our best from the very beginning.
“Being together and with the attitude of the previous two games [against Granada and Sevilla], we hope to do some good at the Santiago Bernabeu.”
The striker, who also commented today on his ability to energise his teammates, even if the strength was not his but the collective’s, praised new Coach Javier Aguirre.
“He is on top all the time and is transmitting many things to us. He is a good Coach and has shown that with other teams.
“I already knew that he had once tried to sign me for one of his other teams and that is something I appreciated.”
Garcia is available to the team once more after serving a four-match ban for insulting the match officials during his team’s defeat at Valencia.
“I have wanted to be with the group, from the outside having seen things going wrong.
“I have not learned a lesson from this suspension, because I did not say the things that I have been punished for, but from now on I will let my colleagues protest, just in case.”
