The Chilean coach, who spoke to reporters before the afternoon training session he scheduled at the verdiblanca sports city, stated that “this is a match that, no matter how much one tries to control their emotions, the atmosphere in the stadium often leads to mistakes.” He urged his players to avoid “red cards, penalties, and falling for any kind of provocation.”
Pellegrini addressed the physical condition of the team, following their UEFA Conference League match against Legia in Warsaw on Thursday (1-0), and mentioned that since then they have dedicated “the majority of the time to trying to rest in order to be at 100% tomorrow in a match where we need to be at our physical, footballing, and tactical best.”
He added regarding Sevilla, who have had all week to prepare for the derby, that “Thursday games usually take their toll on Sundays,” and that’s why they are trying to “make rotations so that the squad is ready to play at all times.” However, he also pointed out that if they do not win, they cannot say it was because they played on Thursday.
The coach acknowledged that the derby “means joy or sadness for the fans” and that “it’s six points for the supporters, the players, and the team.” He concluded by saying, “The one who wins leaves stronger, and the one who loses leaves weakened.”
On Sevilla’s situation, he remarked: “They are trying to find a new footballing approach; they have changed five or six coaches in the last two years, and it’s not easy to implement ideas over time. Now with García -Xavi García Pimienta- they are seeing a new style of play. I believe they have recovered quite a bit in recent matches, but I couldn’t analyze it any further.”
Pellegrini also discussed Argentine attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, currently the fittest player in his squad and their top scorer, who did not travel to Poland for the European match to be given rest after playing many minutes in recent weeks.
“I hope he maintains the level of recent matches, although I don’t believe a single player can change the entire team,” Pellegrini clarified. Additionally, he was asked about center-back Marc Bartra, who recently rejoined group training after overcoming a muscle injury, and stated that “he is practically ready” and could be included in the squad for Sunday’s match.
Moreover, Pellegrini expressed his hope that there would be no “incidents” between the fans because “the derby benefits Sevilla significantly; it’s one of the many things this city has, which, in addition to being touristically entertaining, has a derby that attracts a lot of people.”
“All that rivalry is very important to maintain at the highest possible level from a sporting point of view and not from an extrinsic one. We need to try to win the match on the pitch without incidents off the pitch,” he emphasized.
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