Baraja: "It's an important, motivating game"

Rubén Baraja talked to the media ahead of Valencia CF's trip to the Santiago Bernabéu, where they play Real Madrid on Saturday night in LaLiga.

 Non-sporting matters

I don't have to worry about all the situations that are being generated that have nothing to do with the game. We are going to Madrid to play a football match, which is what we work for. I'm not worried about anything else. It's an important, motivating game because of the stadium and we have to compete against Real Madrid. We want to have a good game, compete well and nothing more. I am not going to comment on anything else, because I neither read it nor can I evaluate it.

Vinicius

He is a world-class player and that's that. Our approach is to go there to play a football match; we are not going to a war. We are going to a great stadium to play against a great team and we have a series of opposition players, among them Vinicius. As a club and in terms of our fans, we have already experienced last year's situation. I think we have been the only club sanctioned and we were called things that we are not, we had to defend ourselves from unpleasant situations but we have moved on from that. We have served our punishment and we are going to Madrid to play a football match. We have to focus on football and not on controversy. This matter has to end and we must focus on the sporting side.

Vinicius' attitudes towards opposing teams

He is a magnificent player. He is a difference-maker and has great qualities. There is not only Vinicius there, but also Bellingham, Kroos, Modric... I am not going to give any more importance to this than what it is. I'm not going to talk about anything outside of the sporting side. Tomorrow, we have a very motivating game because it is a spectacular stadium, and I don't focus on non-sporting things.

 Avoiding falling into provocations

There are specific actions that you can go too far with, or make a mistake like Paulista last year for whatever reason. There is a great rivalry and tomorrow I hope that the Real Madrid fans respect Valencia CF and vice-versa. Historically, Valencia CF fans tend to behave in an exemplary manner wherever they go.

15 years without winning at the Bernabéu

Suddenly you think one thing, then you go to another place where you think you are not going to win and you can do so -or the other way around. It's a great challenge against a great team. We are in a good moment of form and we are focused on playing a good game, competing and having a chance to win. We are going there with ambition, bravery, and aggression. There is much to gain. I always say that you never know where the points will come from. I'm not much one for talking about my days as a player. We are in good form and we hope to have a great game, competing to win and being ambitious. We know what these games are like, and you have to have a very complete game, be focused and intense, and get things right in both areas.

The starting XI

We have it more or less defined and it will be the same plan that we have been seeing recently. Just because you go to the Bernabéu or the Camp Nou, that does not mean you have to change the model of how you play. We will try to be ambitious, brave, aggressive, press... this is what we look for in every game.

 Dispelling doubts about his position

I have always recognised that every coach needs to have experiences. I had several experiences before Valencia CF, some positive and others not, but I had the background to take on this challenge and it helped me last year. This year is a progression. I try to improve and a coach has to update himself and improve at all times. I am a young coach who can continue to grow. I need the support of my players. I am in the process of improvement and growth and fortunately, I am experiencing this evolution at home, at my club.

 Visiting the Bernabéu as a player

At that time, we did not feel like equals, but when we went to Madrid there was a great sporting rivalry because we fought for the LaLiga title with them. They are always a fearsome team because they can win the game at any moment, but Valencia CF have always stood firm. This is the mentality we are going to carry into tomorrow. We want to keep things clear, execute the game plan, and ensure that Real Madrid do not have a good day and that we do.

Injured players

Cenk and Jesús are back in the squad, having recovered from their respective injuries. There are players who are still unavailable.

Pepelu is an example for young players

He is still young, but he is an example to follow. His way of treating this profession is the way I like it. He does things at the limit, to the maximum. His performance is generally focused on all this. That consistency is because his day-to-day life is about living for football. He is passionate about football and his performance is a reward for his hard work. Nobody has gifted him anything.

Almeida's injury

He has had a small fracture to a vertebra for a long time and it affects the vertebra above it. What continually affects him is that he has discomfort and he cannot complete sessions without pain. His improvement will depend on his feeling and we cannot know when he will be available. We do not know the return deadline or when it may be.

 Mental work for the visit to the Bernabéu

I hope it is beneficial. Going to the Bernabéu is a great source of motivation and the first time it is even more so. This has to lead us to a great state of excitement and activation. We can neither be too hyped up nor very relaxed. We have to be faithful to what we've done during the start of the season, and I am not going to ask for anything different. We will try to play as a team like we did in Seville, San Mamés and Logroño. This is the idea; it being players' first time there doesn't have to affect things.

The dynamic since the international break

I would be worried if I saw that the team was not doing well, or if tomorrow we did the opposite of what we have been doing. That would bother me. We have the path marked out, we know at what pace we have to play and the effort we have to make. Not doing so would be an abandonment of our duties. If you do what you plan and you don't manage to win, you have your conscience clear. Hopefully, it will be enough to get points, have a great game and make it difficult for Real Madrid.

Hugo Duro

He is available and I think he could participate tomorrow. We'll see if that is from the start or later on.

Playing with double fullbacks

We have several possibilities. If we don't start with it, we could switch to it during the game. You have to evaluate everything, look at different situations and choose the best one. You have to do what you feel, what you believe in, as this is what leaves you calm. We will try to get it right and hope it helps us be competitive.

Thinking about more than survival

This is not the time to evaluate those situations. We're going to compete tomorrow and we'll see what happens. These hypotheses lead to nothing. We have to focus on each game, we have good momentum and we have to take advantage of that dynamic. The more points we take, the faster we will get closer to the goal. Going off-script doesn't benefit us at all because we already know that if you don't win, you fall away. We are going to focus on the game.