Ahead of Sunday's fixture against Fuenlabrada, Real Oviedo Head Coach Cuco Ziganda this morning appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón.

The Coach began by evaluating the state of his team as it approaches the match at the Fernando Torres for the penultimate fixture of 2021. "Javi Mier is still in the same position, while Matheus looks worse. He is going to be out for longer. Mossa is going to see how he feels today, but we think he might be available. Brugman is going to see how it goes too, while Viti isn't doing badly but we have to be aware of what he's coming back from. We will see if he is available."

Real Oviedo are going to come up against a Fuenlabrada side which has just changed its head coach, with the appointment of Sergio Pellicer. Regarding this matter and how it may affect the way the team prepares for the match, Ziganda commented that "we haven't thought too much about it. The change in coach gives them something different after what had not been the best run. Fuenlabrada have players out, but they have built a foundation in the past month. Players make a bigger difference than formations do. They have good players, we know them. We know Pellicer and what he did at Málaga. There are a lot of variables, but we are focusing on our players' characteristics. We spend part of our time thinking about the opponent, but most of the time we focus on what we are going to do."

With respect to a possible change in formation for the encounter with Fuenlabrada, the Gaffer reasoned that "the important thing is to know how we want to play. We have to decide the best option according to the players we have out on the pitch. With three in midfield we can have more control and stick together more."

Asked for his best and worst moments of 2021, with the year now coming to its end, the Coach highlighted that "there have been two things which I haven't liked so much. Too many home matches have got away from us when we were in the lead, and we have also been lacking control in some matches. What I've liked most is that there have been very good matches, independent of the results, and that the team goes out with the right mentality even when it's not having a good day. The team gives everything, it doesn't give up, and the group competes very well. We are a tough and consistent opponent."

Discussing Jimmy's contract renewal, the Coach declared himself "very happy", stating that "he's a player that found it hard to break into the team, but is now getting a lot of game time. He's one of the club captains and an example on and off the pitch. He's a professional player and we are happy for him."

Finally, regarding the importance of getting a victory to end in the year in the battle for a playoff place, Ziganda believes that "we can't get away from it, having three points more or less is important. We have to keep cool heads, be aware of the importance of the match, and see the difficulty of matches against Fuenlabrada. I am expecting a tough, hard-fought match, and if we don't match their intensity then it will be difficult. We need to be very switched on to come through the match in Fuenlabrada."