Real Oviedo Head Coach Cuco Ziganda appeared in the Press Room at El Requexón today ahead of the weekend's clash with Sabadell.

The Gaffer began by providing an update on his players' wellbeing, with a few players carrying knocks in the last few days of training. He said, "it's normal at this stage of the season. The weight of the training sessions and matches takes its toll. We hope to have them all available, whether that be to start the match or to come on in the second half. Juanjo (Nieto) and Javi (Mier) are definitely out, but Viti has trained with everyone else and is available. Borja Sánchez has trained better this week. Tejera has become a father and is with his wife. We'll see if he can come in today and see how he's doing with the knock he's got."

With respect to how his team has approached this week, Ziganda admitted that "we've only talked about preparing for the match. Doing sums doesn't get you anywhere. We know how important the match is. There are five 'cup finals' to go. The first one is on Sunday and we have to treat it that way and prepare for it. Everything is so even and we are focusing on improving. We are all aware of the point we have reached in the season."

Regarding the tightness of the league table and the head-to-head records against the other teams battling for survival, the Coach commented that "there are some teams we've lost it against, but we've beaten other ones. There are a lot of teams involved. Sabadell is a rival down there and the result will be important. We have to be thinking about winning going into the match. It would be an important step towards getting out of trouble." In addition, with respect to the importance of getting three points at the Tartiere, Ziganda believes that "there have been times we could have got more. There is no other option but to turn it around, we have to get points at home. We have to be prepared from a mental and footballing point of view and know the types of matches we will face. There is less time left and less margin for error. Everyone is anxious going into this type of situation. We have to control our emotions and focus on what happens out on the pitch. We have to know how to maintain our complete concentration throughout the match. It's important to focus on the football, and on being a strong and compact team."

Asked about Sabadell, Ziganda admitted that "they are in great form. They've only lost one of their last eight matches. They were playing well in the first half of the season and had a lot of the ball, but they were finding it hard to get results. They've improved in that sense now and are able to stay solid. They are in good form. The teams down at the bottom are getting more points and we are finding it hard to win. The matches are what they are, but we don't give up."

Finally, discussing his preferences regarding the return of fans to the stands, the Coach stated that "we'd love to have fans there and it would be great for us, that's for sure. We miss them. It would give us a boost in morale and in confidence. The Coach shouldn't talk about this type of things though, it's up to the experts. They are the ones who know about this type of situation."