Rui Silva on San Mamés atmosphere and Sporting’s motivation | OneFootball

Rui Silva was the player chosen to speak to journalists at the press conference previewing Athletic Bilbao vs Sporting, this Tuesday, January 27, at San Mamés. The match is scheduled for next Wednesday at 8:00 PM, at the opponent's ground. Read here everything the Lions' goalkeeper had to say.

Advice for teammates about the atmosphere at San Mamés

"I've had the opportunity to play several times in this stadium, a stadium with an incredible atmosphere. I know the difficulties we will face and I've already talked about this with some teammates. I conveyed a message of calm. We know we represent a great club and we are used to these kinds of environments. It will be a very important atmosphere for our future."

An ambitious team for the game in Bilbao?

"Confidence and motivation are intrinsic at Sporting. We played a great game last week against PSG. Confidence is high, but tomorrow will be another important challenge that could put us among the top eight in Europe. It is very rewarding to be able to compete in this competition with the best."

Athletic's poor form and the dangers of the opponent

"La Liga is a very demanding competition. We know it’s different to play every three or four days. They may not be having a season up to their standards, but in recent years they have shown great quality and have excellent players. It’s a club that values those from the region a lot and that alone demonstrates their quality. It’s a great club, they have excellent players and are very quick in transitions. We are prepared for that and for the atmosphere. With their fans, it will be more complicated."

Sporting can make history by winning in Spain

"We have a great opportunity to break the tradition [of never having won in Spain]. It’s not easy to play here. Our focus is on achieving victory. We have to control what depends on us and play a good game to win."

Athletic is the club he has faced most often in his career

"I remember very well the first match I played against Athletic, I was just talking about it a little while ago. It was an incredible atmosphere. I didn’t know I had already played so many times against Athletic. Being able to play against these teams is rewarding."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.