Pellegrino Matarazzo: Real Sociedad go for points vs Deportivo

Pellegrino Matarazzo, Real Sociedad’s coach, said his team is ready to return to competition this Sunday against Deportivo de La Coruña and dismissed the idea of going back to sixth “29 months after”. The manager from New Jersey believes the priority now is to “win points, improve the game and build confidence”, not the table position at this stage.

After the international break

Matarazzo noted they’ve had “a lot of time without football” since their last match, although they had a test versus Athletic. “The players who went on international duty came back well”, and his feeling today is that everyone is prepared.

Fitness and selection

On injuries, Héctor Fort trained “for the first time fully” and is “an option” for the squad, while Aramburu will be out “for a while” due to a problem in the soleus. Zubeldia is “in a very good way”, and Marchal misses out after having fever this week; Carrera is included.

Matarazzo does not see Deportivo as a typical fresh-from-the-second-division side. He pointed to summer reinforcements and results: they beat Villarreal, drew with Real Betis and have lost only once in their first seven. Even if Real reach sixth if they win and Alavés fail against Atlético, the focus remains “where we are at the end of the season”, as he stressed to Marca.