Markel Bergara says Real Sociedad will need to improve on their weekend showing against Athletic Bilbao against Villarreal.
La Real take on the Yellow Submarine on Thursday night in a first-leg Copa del Rey fixture and, despite having beaten Bilbao 2-0 in the Basque derby, Bergara feels it was a performance that needs to bettered if they are to gain an advantage at Anoeta.
“Villarreal are one of the best teams in La Liga and are playing very well. To get through we’ll have to be better than we were on Sunday because right now our opponents are operating at a very high level.
“Even so, the players here are hopeful of going a long way in this competition after many years of disappointment and we want to put that right.
“We can take the next step towards that on Thursday and if we do qualify for the next round it will be well deserved because, I repeat, Villarreal are a very difficult team to beat,” claimed Bergara in an interview with Mundo Deportivo.
The 27-year-old has been with Real Sociedad since he was a youngster, yet it is only now that he feels the supporters have really accepted him as a vital cog in the first-team line-up.
“The fans sang my name against Bilbao and, of course, I noticed it because it is something that makes me very happy. These are things you always dream about as a player.
“I’m playing more regularly now, while the recent results have helped and the team is functioning well. That is helping me and things are going my way, but it is changeable.
“What I must do is continue in the manner I have done so everything remains the same.”
