Head coach Miroslav Koubek and midfielder Lukáš Kalvach answered questions at the press conference.

Coach, you can be among the top eight teams in the Europa League. Is that a big motivation for you?

Of course, we know that if we win we have a chance to be in the top eight. On the other hand, the probability is not that high. According to the computer model I have calculated, our chances are about 13%, given the teams in the top eight. It´s certainly one of the motivating elements, but our primary focus is on the game itself. For me as a coach, it´s important that we give a good performance and take away as many positives as possible.

Do you consider Athletic Club to be the strongest opponent you have faced in the Europa League?

Definitely yes. They are a great team, which is confirmed by their excellent position in both the Spanish league and the Europa League. Maybe they are a bit unlucky to have to compete with giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atlético Madrid in the domestic competition. They are strong in all aspects and it is hard to find weaknesses. They really are a very high-level team.

Now that you are sure to advance to the next stage, can you enjoy the match more without stress?

Sure. The most stressful game was last week against Anderlecht. Now we´re in a situation where we´ve managed that important step. We can play more relaxed, which is definitely positive. On the other hand, it mustn´t lead to complacency or the impression that we´re done. That could negatively affect our concentration, which would be bad. I will constantly remind the players to stay 100% focused.

Are you planning any major changes to the line-up due to the demanding schedule ahead or due to the health of the players?

The health of the team is the same as last week, i.e. good. As far as any investigation of the players is concerned, we have played only one competitive match so far, so it is not necessary. On the contrary, we need to use this match to get another game rhythm before the start of the league. We´ll see how the game develops. If there is room for rotation, we will use it, but only the course of the match will show that.

Lukáš Kalvach

Since you have already secured your place in the playoffs, is the preparation for tomorrow´s game going at a calmer pace?

Tomorrow´s game can´t be any quieter for us, otherwise our opponent would have gotten the better of us. I think we were calmer this week just because we accomplished what we wanted to do. However, we have to prepare for tomorrow like never before. Bilbao is a big club with high quality. If we underestimate them, we could pay the price. So it doesn´t matter to us that we are already assured of promotion. We have to give our best performance and get the best possible result.

Is it an advantage that the league hasn´t started yet and you´ve had a week to prepare, like before the Anderlecht game? Is it possible to build on that?

Yes, for sure. The autumn was long for us, we had a lot of games, so the break was definitely good for us. We had a great training camp in Spain where we prepared well. After the Anderlecht game we had another week to recover and prepare. I believe we are properly prepared.

What kind of game can we expect tomorrow?

We expect a high quality match. Bilbao is one of the top teams in the Spanish league and has great individual players who are strong on the ball. The atmosphere in their stadium, which is huge and beautiful, will also play an important role. We have to prepare for that. At the same time, we have to stick to our game, defend honestly and believe that we can convert from breakaways.