Pepe Mel told the press in Abegondo this afternoon, that for the Galician derby tomorrow (#ONOSODERBI 6:30 pm, Bein Sports), Dépor will try “to continue giving the fans joy and satisfaction, so that they can be proud of the players once the ref blows the final whistle”.

The Deportivista coach believes that derbies “either put you in debt with your fans or they make you start from scratch to win credit again. We believe we’re in a good moment having won the last two matches that were in our calendar which were Molinón and Barça at home. Furthermore, the players have regained the credit they thought they had lost. Now they’re confident and I hope they prove that against a rival who has just done very well in Europe, a rival we respect, we know their qualities, but we don’t think they’re better than us”.

For this reason he highlighted that “first of all, you have to compete in derbies. If you don’t compete, it can backfire. You have to compete well, with the same intensity as the rival, and get the fans involved. We’re at home, we play in A Coruña, we have to identify ourselves with the people in the stands, I’m sure there are thousands of Deportivistas in the stands that would love to play, run on the pitch and put on a shirt. Regarding them, when they go home they have to leave satisfied”.

He does not expect a tired Celta after their participation in Europa League: “The match ended with them fairly qualifying for the next round. They were the best in both matches. They had their night and they are professional footballers, who are well prepared, well trained. They slept there. And they’ve had their recovery. I don’t think that’s going to be the reason whether they win or lose”.

Mel explained that the message he is giving his players at the moment is “not to think about relegation, but to think about our matches, our points, to keep on gaining points, to be protagonists of this league. You have to try and be a protagonist in the Spanish league, beyond the fact of being in Real Madrid or Barça. The only way to do this is being a little different, winning, competing, and getting people to think that there’s a team in Coruña that’s doing things well. That’s what they’ve done in the last four matches. We have the opportunity to do it tomorrow against a great rival”.