Espanyol coach: Zaragoza will definitely be in the squad. We must get him on the pitch to find his rhythm

Espanyol head coach Manolo Gonzalez said the team cannot fall behind early when facing Sevilla, and Zaragoza will be included in the match squad.

Gonzalez said at the press conference that Espanyol conceded too early in both of their recent defeats, and the course of the matches affected the team's performance. Espanyol lost 1-2 to Real Madrid and beat Real Sociedad 2-1, with Gonzalez saying: “Falling behind so early affected us.”

Gonzalez said Espanyol must find their advantages on the pitch against Sevilla: “At Anoeta, the biggest mistake we made in the previous match was that we did not find these advantages. Tomorrow, we must be more precise when in possession, and our passing circulation must also be faster.”

Gonzalez revealed that summer signing winger Zaragoza will be included in the squad for the match against Sevilla. He said: “He will definitely be in the squad. We must get him on the pitch and help him find his rhythm as soon as possible. We hope he can get some playing time.”

Speaking about the final squad after the transfer window closed, Gonzalez said he was satisfied: “The work during this period was very important, and the team's transfer window operations were quite good. When the squad is complete and everyone is in their best condition, this will be a competitive team.”

Gonzalez pointed out that although Kike Garcia, Javi Puado and Gorosabel are currently unavailable, with the latter only suffering minor discomfort, Espanyol still have the ability to compete. He said: “We have two players in every position, which will help the team ensure that this season will not be as long as previous years.”

Gonzalez finally said that Javi Puado is expected to return after the international break, starting from mid-September: “We hope he can train with the whole team, and after that we will see how he feels. He has just recovered from a long and complicated injury.”