Jorge Sampaoli is optimistic that Sevilla midfielders Samir Nasri and Michael Krohn-Dehli will be back soon, although not against Valencia on Saturday.
Nasri has been struggling with an Achilles’ injury for the past three weeks, while Krohn-Dehli has spent the last seven months out with a serious knee ailment, but the pair are now just a matter of days away from making their long-awaited returns.
“By not taking the chances that we’re creating, the team are being forced to put in more effort than they need to,” the Coach said at a Press conference.
“Hopefully before Christmas we can make our dominance in games count because if we don’t, every game is going to be very stressful.
“Beyond the frustration of not going through in the Champions League, the feelings the players have is that they enjoy playing for this shirt.
“That stimulus hasn’t been lost and we hope to show it against Valencia. We’re very angry about what happened, but we have a lot of enthusiasm.
“Krohn-Dehli? Luckily he’s recovering quicker than planned. He’s a player that we rate highly and hopefully he’ll be back on the pitch soon.
“Nasri? He’s recovering and we’re doing everything possible for him to reach the game against Lyon.
“If he plays a few minutes against Granada first, that would be ideal.
“Can Krohn-Dehli replace Nasri? I see him as a type of deep-lying midfielder, different to Nasri.
“Krohn-Dehli helps to build the team’s dynamic. He’s very interesting for Sevilla’s future.”
