Luis García Plaza says his side want to go as far as possible in the Copa del Rey ahead of our second-round fixture against CF Fuenlabrada.
We head to the Estadio Fernando Torres with a severely depleted squad due to injury, suspension and infection, although the boss believes his side are still aiming to progress.
"We are going to compete at our best in the Copa del Rey and try to get through to the next round,” he told journalists via a virtual press conference. “Hopefully we can have a great game against Fuenlabrada. The Copa del Rey is never an annoyance. The players who have less minutes are dying to play in it. It’s good motivation for them and to get minutes.
"We have to be wary of the counterattack. Let's see how the pitch is and if we can play our football. We must not change the way we play. We’ve had several injuries, but that's all there is to it. I hope to recover some of the team ahead of Las Palmas. We’re going to have people from the academy with us for the game like Fran Gonzalez, Iván Bravo and Ibra.”
Having returned to domestic action with a 2-2 draw at Real Oviedo after the Christmas break, Plaza shared his thoughts on the race for promotion.
“The three teams at the top are having an exceptional season,” he continued. “I think at some point we're all going to slow down. We're 12 points away from the playoffs, from seventh place. It's going to be a very long and hard league. Of the top three, I think we're the team with the best mentality to fight to the end.”
