After the harsh tackle he received from Toni Kroos at the Bernabéu, Brazilian full-back Yan Couto acknowledged that he is still in pain, but remains hopeful of arriving on Friday. “It was a hard hit and it’s bothering me a bit, but hopefully it’s just a hit. We will be waiting for the day-to-day developments, but I am hopeful that I will be fine by Friday. If not, by Tuesday”, Couto explained to the media during the open training session.
Before being replaced by Riquelme, Couto played the first few minutes at the Bernabéu with Arnau on the pitch. “I was very comfortable playing with Arnau. I think we defend and attack well together and if we can play again, both of us will be very good”, he said. In addition, he acknowledged feeling comfortable playing on the wing: “I think I can attack more and I have more freedom than playing on the side, but I will always agree with what the manager decides.”
The next meeting is on Friday, against Athletic (9pm), before visiting Martínez Valero on Tuesday (7pm) and playing the first Cup qualifier against Quintanar del Rey on Sunday. The aim is to get back to winning ways, after 7 days without doing so, before the break: “I am very happy with the team, we are growing in every match. We want to add 6 points and we will do everything we can to do it».
