Malaga vs Athletic Bilbao preview - Pellegrini eyes victorious home return

Posted Saturday, February 16, 2013 by PA

Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini aims to lead his team back to winning ways at their La Rosaleda home when they host Athletic Bilbao.

The Andalucians, currently fourth in the Primera Division, have been unable to win at home in the league in 2013, a record Pellegrini hopes to bring to an end as soon as possible.

"We've won points on the road and the points are worth the same whether you win them at home or away, but of course we would like to play well here and start winning here again, in front of our own fans, and dedicate the three points to them," the Chilean coach told reporters.

"It would also help us keep up with the group of teams that are fighting for the European places," he added.

Malaga beat Levante 2-1 away from home last weekend, a result which the coach said had raised his team's spirits ahead of their game with Athletic, and then for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie with Porto next week.

"The mood in the team is very good, it's always positive when you prepare for a game after a win," he said.

"We've had some minor problems with injuries, for example with Weligton, Jesus Gamez, Sergio Sanchez and Duda, but in general terms, this is a good moment for us."

Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa admitted his players' spirits were low following their humiliating 4-0 home defeat to Espanyol last Sunday, but insisted they are now focusing on making amends for the defeat.

"At first the mood is proportional to the last result but then after a few days that feeling of sadness is replaced by a desire to recover," he said.

The Argentinian coach insisted his team had still played well against Espanyol, despite the scoreline, and said the result would not alter how he planned future matches.

"We dominated for an hour and we had a lot of chances," he said.

"I know exactly how I want the team to play and I value the opinion of the players very highly, and they think we didn't play badly."

Bielsa will be without Iker Muniain for the trip to Malaga, as the striker has been unable to recover from a knee injury he sustained against Espanyol in time.

Ibai Gomez, who was also injured on Sunday, has recovered, though, and will travel with the team and is expected to start.

Carlos Gurpegui and Fernando Llorente have been named in Bielsa's squad for the game but are unlikely to feature in the starting line-up.