Deportivo La Coruna vs Athletic Bilbao
Deportivo La Coruna
Athletic Bilbao
vs
Saturday 23rd January 2010
Venue: Riazor
Kick-off: 21:00
Score: 3 - 1
Susaeta wants to continue good form
Athletic Bilbao midfielder Markel Susaeta has urged his team-mates not to let their concentration drop as they prepare to face a wounded Deportivo la Coruna.
Athletic secured a fine 1-0 win at home to Real Madrid last weekend to lift them to seventh in the Primera Division standings.
The Basques scored through Fernando Llorente after just two minutes and somehow managed to weather the storm for the rest of the match against a rampant Madrid outfit.
However, Susaeta insists that victory will mean nothing if they do not repeat that feat at Depor.
"We have to continue our good form," he said. "We can't drop the urgency because otherwise the victory the other day won't mean anything.
"We have to go out there giving it everything to take another small step forward.
"We're not going to lose our focus just because we beat Real Madrid.
"The match against Depor will be difficult but we're going there to win.
"We are in a very good situation and if we win at the Riazor we will place ourselves in an exciting position."
Athletic sit just a point behind fifth-placed Deportivo La Coruna and a win away to the Galicians will lift Joaquin Caparros' men into the top five, where they briefly sat earlier on this season.
Defender Fernando Amorebieta believes that would prove they are genuine contenders for a Champions League place.
"Victory would be vital to continue fighting for the top places," he said. "The team are focused and we are in a very good situation.
"Looking at how the team is, giving everything and picking up results, we can be hopeful.
"By beating Depor we would be in the top five and that is a situation which allows us to believe we can finish there."
Javi Martinez has recovered from a bout of gastro-enteritis and should feature.
Susaeta is likely to be the only change from the starting line-up against Real Madrid, with the midfielder set to come in for the suspended Carlos Gurpegi.
Depor will be glad to switch their attention back to the league after Wednesday night's hugely disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey.
The Galicians now have very little chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the cup, but they remain in a strong position in the league and are still very much in contention for a place in next season's Champions League.
Miguel Angel Lotina's men sit just two points behind fourth-placed Mallorca, having lost against the islanders at Son Moix last weekend.
It is the first time Depor have lost two consecutive matches this season but former Athletic goalkeeper Dani Aranzubia is not overly concerned.
"We know that this slump can happen," he said. "It's very difficult to keep up the rhythm that we were playing with.
"We have a very tight calendar and added to that we have a lot of injuries."
Depor have been boosted by the news that Filipe has passed a fitness test and been included in the squad. The defender last missed a game when he was suspended in November 2007 - against Athletic - but had been rated as a serious doubt.
Andres Guardado and Sergio Gonzalez both miss out again.
