Valencia Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi believes his side is capable of beating Atletico Madrid in Tuesday’s Copa del Rey fixture.
In-form Atletico travel to the Mestalla this Tuesday evening for the first leg of their Round of 16 meeting, with Los Che’s Coach in no doubt about his players’ capacity to match up to the visitors.
“You have to win the early rounds before the final,” Pizzi has told reporters, despite also admitting he intends to make changes to the side that beat Levante on Sunday.
“The history of Valencia always forces you to be the protagonist and have the intention of winning.
“I don’t see why we can’t win,” he added, insisting that every opponent has vulnerabilities.
Pizzi also confirmed that he would like to see a striker added to his squad this month but feels January is a difficult time to make new signings.
“The market will offer possibilities, but it’s not easy to find players who have the ability we need.
“We have a few players in that position but I think we can still improve.”
Napoli’s Chile international Eduardo Vargas is one potential arrival and Pizzi hopes to exploit the forward’s desire for playing time ahead of the World Cup.
“This is a time to compete for a World Cup place and if you’re not playing, you need to find a solution. We’ll see what the situation is.”
Reports from Italy meanwhile have linked Ever Banega with a move away from the club, but Pizzi dismissed the speculation.
“At the moment we are considering that no one leaves. We have not thought of a way out for Banega.”
