Real Oviedo Captain, Miguel Linares, appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón this morning.
The forward assured fans that so far it has been “a calm week, just like any other. There are three points available, the same as in any other match. However, it is very special for our fans, and therefore it will be for us too. It gives us extra motivation.”
Linares showed his complete respect for the opponent, as he would with any other opponent. “We know they have a good team. We respect them, just as we did Almería last week and just as we will Cádiz next week. We need to stay humble and work hard. We know that we have to give everything in order to earn the three points and stay up at the top of the table.”
With respect to what he expects to see at Sunday’s match, Linares highlighted the atmosphere created by the fans, with “a packed stadium. I’ve been lucky enough to experience it before, and they will be with us to the death. We are used to playing at home with the pitch in a poor condition, but we would prefer it to be good.”
Regarding how he will feel personally during the match as the longest-serving player in the first team, Linares explained that, “I’ve been here for four seasons. The fans have told me a lot of stories about the rivalry, but we have to try to isolate ourselves from it a bit because being overly-motivated won’t help us. Sunday will come and seeing the stadium full will give us a massive plus.”
Finally, when asked for a word to sum up this match, the Real Oviedo Captain opted for “passion. For both teams the answer would be passion, because in Asturias people live for football. What our fans feel for this badge is pure passion,” he concluded.
