Alcaraz: "We shouldn't be afraid to keep hold of the ball against Real Madrid"

Granada's coach hopes that his players will show "determination and personality" in Saturday's league game at the Bernabéu.

EFE 6 de January de 2017 20:03h CET

No fear

Granada coach Lucas Alcaraz says his team have no reason to fear holding onto the ball in tomorrow's meeting with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu and hopes his players show "determination and personality" against Zidane's team.

Marquez and Lomban in training Pepe Villoslada (DIARIO AS)

Absentees

Alcaraz said in today's press conference that he is thinking "only about this game" and not the following weekend's visit from Osasuna; he also admitted that it's "not normal" to have so many players unavailable - with numerous players unable to make the trip to the capital tomorrow, including Saunier, Carcela, Foulquier, Toral, Angban and Cuenca.

"These are moments that every team has to go through over the course of the season. We must make the most of the resources we have available to us. I believe we have more than enough depth to be competitive and to get a good result in Madrid", Alcaraz said, before adding. "We have to be organized and ambitious when we have the ball, and take care with our positioning. Nor should we be afraid to keep possession of the ball. We need to show the same determination and personality which we have at other grounds where we have taken the initiative".

Granada go into tomorrow's game second from bottom in the table - they picked up vital points before Christmas against Málaga and Sevilla but were unable to continue their run after losing at home to Real Sociedad in their final outing of 2016.