Espanyol boss Manolo Gonzalez confident ahead of Barcelona clash: ‘We can beat anybody’ | OneFootball

Speaking ahead of the upcoming Catalan derby, Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez set the tone by stressing the emotional weight of the fixture while making it clear that his side believe they can cause an upset.

The Espanyol boss first emphasised what the derby means to the club and its supporters.

“We consider this match important because it’s a derby, because they are our eternal rivals, and because we are convinced we can win.

“I’m focused on what we want. What they think doesn’t worry me too much,” he began saying.

A wounded Barcelona

Barcelona come into this match on the back of a 0-2 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, leading to suggestions they could be vulnerable.

Gonzalez, however, dismissed that story, stating that he expects the same intensity as always.

“When the match kicks off, they will go all out, just as they always have against Espanyol. They’ll be out to win, not to play it safe.

“They will try to hurt us if they can. We need to focus on putting in a good performance. We’ve lost to them three times since I’ve been here, and on two of those occasions, we were close.

“At Montjuic, our goals were disallowed by a matter of centimetres.”

Despite Espanyol’s difficult record at Camp Nou, having not won there since 2009, Gonzalez was keen to highlight his team’s ability to compete against top opposition.

“We’re a team that competes and beats any opponent. We’ve managed to beat Real Madrid, Atletico and at San Mames.”

How to beat Barcelona

Barcelona are coming on the back of a Champions League defeat. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Naturally, questions turned to how Espanyol plan to trouble Barcelona, but Gonzalez kept his cards close to his chest.

Hinting at tactical preparation without revealing specifics, he said,

“There are many things I won’t say either. 

“You have to try and make it happen during the match; in training you’ve got Maradona, Zidane and Platini, but in a match it’s more complicated.”

Rotations at Barcelona

There has also been talk that Barcelona might rotate players due to their upcoming European clash, but Gonzalez rejected the idea that it would make things easier.

“I don’t think that’s the case. They’ll compete at the highest level. It’s a derby for them too. 

“They won’t be thinking about Tuesday’s match. Whoever takes to the pitch will give their all. So will we.”

Finally, when asked about the possible benching of Lamine Yamal, Gonzalez once again kept the focus on his own team rather than individual opponents.

“We’ve prepared for the match with the players who may or may not feature. We’re preparing for it like any other match, very focused on ourselves,” he concluded.

Source: AS