Villarreal boss Marcelino accepts his team face a tough task when they take on Atletico Madrid at El Madrigal on Wednesday.
The Yellow Submarine have not won in eight games, a 4-1 victory over Celta Vigo in the first week of March, and Marcelino admits his players are trying to recover mentally.
“We are looking to increase our self-esteem because we have been competing well and our recent games have been evenly-matched,” he told reporters.
“It’s been some time since we’ve won but we’ve not lost many games, although the few goals scored means we are not getting the points.
“We’ve been creating chances regularly but have not been capable of converting them into goals.
“It’s not going to be easy against a team like Atleti but we’ll be trying with all our might, as we always do, and the players will give their all despite the problems we’ve had.”
Marcelino was full of praise for Atleti striker Antoine Griezmann, who is having a tremendous first season with Diego Simeone’s men.
“Griezmann is an extraordinary player and now he doesn’t just score goals. He had two brilliant seasons with Real Sociedad and is one of the best players in our League,” he maintained.
