Michel insists Real Madrid remain favourites ahead of this weekend's clash, despite their defeat at Athletic Bilbao.
State of the squad:
“Asprilla has trained normally and will be ready for tomorrow. Viktor Tsygankov and Yangel Herrera will not be there and we have the doubt of Solís with a sprain.”
Asprilla:
“He has individual ability to pass forward, he has imagination and is differential in the shot. He can play from outside to inside and he gives us competition. He needs to grow in our league, he can do badly and there are footballers who need to understand that we play against Madrid, many have not played against them and we have to talk to them because they have to understand it.”
Elimination from the Copa:
“It was not our best game, we wanted to move on but we have to be able to improve the version and think about the other two competitions we have.”
Madrid with injuries:
“It is a great team, current European and league champions. Vinícius will not be there but they have players who are different up front. Mbappé is top, one of the best in the world, Bellingham, Rodrygo… any name is world class. We need to be at our best and for the opponent to not be accurate.”
Paying the price:
“The difficulty is maximum and we are playing against one of the best teams in the world. We have to play a perfect match in attack and defence. They lost the other day at San Mamés but they are alive in all competitions, for them every defeat has more repercussions but if you analyse they have more virtues than defects, of course.
Inconsistent Madrid:
“There is never a good time to play against Madrid. If they had beaten Athletic, with Barça failing, they could have gone top. They are always alive in all competitions, there are many players who break lines, all of them are top when it comes to ball circulation… We have to play together and be a team, so that there is as little space for them as possible. Madrid is always the favourite, it is a challenge to beat them.”
Motivating the fans:
“The team has given the fans a lot of joy. The other day in Logroño was a tough day for everyone but it was not due to a lack of attitude. We did not play our best but that has happened to us in the past. The same thing happened to us in Lepe in the Cup. My team never makes fools of themselves because my players always give 100%. They have suffered a lot of firsts, many factors influence, the field, the rival, there is no VAR.”
Improvements of the team:
“We have scored 10 out of 12 and it is not bad. We must improve in zone three because in defence I think we are a team that has conceded many goals outside the area. They score great goals against us and we can improve, but we are better in defence. In zone three, I don't know how to define what we lack, but we are a less aggressive team, or that the mentality is not as top... and if that fails, transitions occur, where we suffer. We have to finish more plays.”
Mbappé:
“All the teams try to stop players of this level and we have a plan within the difficulties. Nobody has any doubts that he is one of the best in the world. He is very focused and when he fails everything is magnified. With and without the ball, it is difficult to stop and he stops having the ball. When you lose it, you have to be focused, another way is to put the line further back, although we are not ones to change the style. I hope to suffer and enjoy it on the field but that a good version of Girona is seen.”
Madrid and Liverpool:
“We have to enjoy this moment in Girona's history. The difficulty is maximum, people don't realise. The two rivals are world-class and we have to be happy to be able to play against them. We are growing, we have 21 points in the league and our best form has to come in the second third of the competition. We must look up and the challenge, if we also miss out on the Champions League, is to finish among the top 6-7 in the league to return to Europe.”
Post Copa elimination:
“The game comes soon, just three days after the elimination against Logroñés. We are a team that falls but gets up as early as possible and it is tomorrow. We need our people, they will be angry about what happened the other day, it is not a lack of attitude and I understand what they say but I do not agree with it. It will be a difficult game but there is no other option than to improve the image of the other day, we need it against Madrid.”
Motivation:
“It's a different game, you could already feel Madrid coming in training and the motivation is special. Now, we have to know how to play with all this, we have to prepare everything well to have a chance of winning.”