Lopetegui knows the result will be important for Irons fans.
“I know this is a big derby in London and means a lot to our fans,” Lopetegui confirmed. “We don’t need any other reason to be ready. We’re going to have over 3,000 fans at the stadium, and we will be ready to work hard and get a good result for them. Our fans are always the best for us, and this is a good thing for us.
“The extra passion in these games is always good for the environment, the fans, the players, and also us. We will try to enjoy all of this, but in the end, you have to put the focus on football, and our aim is to beat a very good team. The most important thing is to play well, defend well, and be able to be very competitive.
“It is about knowing when you have to go and tackle or not. Passion is very important in football and life for sure, but you have to balance this aggressiveness because you have to play football too and make good decisions.
“I’ve managed Sevilla versus Real Betis, who have very passionate fans, but all of these derbies have passion, and our fans are not any different. We are aware of the repercussions of these kinds of matches. The motivation in the players is always inside.”