Pamplona (Saturday, September 2, 2023) - Osasuna head coach Jagoba Arrasate addressed the media in Tajonar ahead of tomorrow's Week 4 match against Fútbol Club Barcelona. During his press conference, the rojillo boss highlighted the importance of reaching perfection if the team wanted a positive result.

"It is on us. Regardless of who plays for Barcelona, we have to be as perfect as possible if we want to have any options to get a result," Arrasate said.

He was also asked about the team's state after being disqualified from the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday night. The gaffer mentioned that his coaching staff were tracking how well each player was physically. Despite not moving on in the tournament, Arrasate sees the experience as positive because it proves the team can compete against any opponent.

"Haven't had much time to think about tomorrow – it hasn't been even 48 hours since our last game. We are seeing who will be ready and who won't. We have recovering players and will see if they can train. Tomorrow, we will have another opportunity in a competition where we have won two of the three games we have played, and tomorrow, we have to be at our best to defeat the reigning champions," the Berriatua native said. "The team has shown that we can compete at important tournaments, which has to be a teaching experience for our upcoming games."

When asked about the opponent, Arrasate highlighted that they are a great team and that their new players add to their potential. Yet, he is aware that with an excellent defensive effort, his team will be more likely to stop them.

"They are the reigning champions. We know how good they are, and they did well in the transfer market. They already had good players, young to top it off. We have to defend well and create chances," the gaffer said. "It all depends on how well we do. We know it will be hard to stop their attack because they do not only have collective power, but each player can be a difference maker."

Arrasate closed the press conference by sending a message to the fans. In it, he told the fans the team would do everything in their power to do a good game and go into the international break on a high note.

"It's a shame we have lost both of our home games. We want to put a smile on the faces of our fans and head into the international break on a high note. Hopefully, we can do a good game and have our fans pushing us forward to get a good result," Arrasate concluded.