Marcelino: “Beating Athletic Club will take us closer to European positions”

The feeling after the Copa del Rey semifinal

The team are doing very well after winning and getting into a final. We couldn't be better. We're not going to forget that night and it will live on in time, but now we have another game in front of our home fans and we want to win it. It won't be easy, because whenever there is an excess of euphoria it can mean that there are distracted minds, but we will try to have the required concentration to focus on the future and the game against Athletic. We have to focus our euphoria to our benefit, transferring it into performance on Sunday.

Changes

We will make changes because there was a big physical and mental effort on Thursday, but that's an accumulation, because between January and February we played 16 competitive games. We will make changes, but with the objective of not weakening the side.

Athletic's evolution

Athletic are a very competitive side and they've changed their dynmais by converting draws into wins. We are the two teams with the most draws in LaLiga. We're playing at home and we want and need to win; we have to to carry over the great effectiveness that we have in the UEFA Europa League and the Copa del Rey into LaLiga. We're a committed, competitive side, and it's hard to explain why we haven't got more points in the last three league games.

Priorities

We've always said that LaLiga is our priority. The Copa del Rey won't exist from now until the days before the final. The UEFA Europa League is a very attractive competition. We know what it means to beat Athletic, and it could take us closer to the European spots and the Champions League.