José Mourinho has praised Sevilla FC as a strong away team ahead of their La Liga clash. The Real Madrid manager also acknowledged the work of Luis García Plaza with the Andalusian side, who visit the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday sitting fifth in the table with 14 points.
"Sevilla is a great team, away from home they always compete. Luis García is doing a great job," Mourinho said in a press conference. The Portuguese spoke about his team's physical demands following their Champions League comeback against Roma, a factor that could influence his lineup. Madrid, fourth in the standings, host a Sevilla side on a mixed run of two wins, one draw and two defeats in their last five outings.
Match context
The game comes after an international break in which Sevilla drew 3-3 with Levante. In that match, Robbie Ure and Félix Correia put the team ahead, but they eventually needed a 95th-minute goal from Isaac Romero to salvage a point. García Plaza's team has scored 13 goals and conceded 12 so far this season, sitting ten points behind leaders Barcelona.
Mourinho confirmed he has good options to make changes and bring freshness, mentioning the versatile 21-year-old Arda Güler. Regarding Vinicius, sanctioned for four matches for a hair-pull, the Madrid boss confirmed he expects him to start and defended him as a spectacular player of tremendous value who renewed out of love for the club. "I thought the hidden cats were going to give him one or two more games," Mourinho added in reference to the ban.
Rotation and philosophy
The Portuguese manager ruled out signings in the January window, stating he likes a short squad and that an open-minded coach is not a good one. He said he can change based on his own analysis, not external opinions. He also spoke about meritocracy within the dressing room, criticising those who only look for blame when things go wrong.
Sunday's match is a significant challenge for Sevilla, who are looking to consolidate their position in the upper half of the table. With a near-full squad, the focus will be on improving a defensive performance that has fluctuated. The team travels to Madrid for a fixture that is always special, aiming to prove that, as Mourinho said, they always compete away from home. The next game on the fixtures list is this visit to the Bernabéu.
The report in full is at diariodesevilla.es
