“Even if Madrid are 7 points clear of Barca, La Liga will not be over”

Athletic Club's coach Ernesto Valverde,did not want to reveal his team's starting goalkeeper for La Liga match at San Mames against Real Madrid, whom he sees as “more dangerous” in sight of the lead. “I have decided, Unai (Simon) or Julen (Agirrezabala), I swear that one of the two will play,” he said, almost in a joking tone, aware of the interest, in the press conference prior to the match, to reveal the most relevant doubt regarding the lineup.
Whatever the goalkeeper, Valverde is clear that the match will be “very difficult” against an opponent whose position near the top of the table makes it even more difficult to beat. “Madrid are the reigning champions, it's true that they have lost in the Champions League to Liverpool and Milan and are closing in on Barca and have one game in hand: they could be leaders. When a team sees that they have options to advance and overcome their rivals, it makes them more dangerous,” he assumed.
In any case, he warned that, even if they beat Barcelona, Madrid will not have won La Liga until the end. “Even if Madrid are 7 points clear of Barca, La Liga will not be over,” he said. He used the same argument to, while being satisfied, assess the good season his team is having.
“We are feeling good and we are happy, we have a lot of games and, as we move forward, we see that we are doing well and we are holding our own. Now, we are playing two teams that are doing well,” he said. In his opinion, against Carlo Ancelotti's team, we must “always be attentive”, even in attacking strategy, as he believes that it happens a lot when “you take a corner and suddenly a player is left alone in front of the goalkeeper”.