University of Chile faces Catholic in the University Classic for the first leg of the Copa Chile quarter-finals, with the antecedent of the defeat by a big score (0-3) on August 27th in the National Stadium.
The U comes from getting back to victory against Palestino, in the re-premiere of Sebastián Miranda as interim coach, but the blues are still fighting not to fall into the relegation zone.
In a press conference, defender Luis Casanova was asked how the U will approach the match, and if they plan to reduce effort in the Copa Chile against a rival that has already surpassed them widely to focus on the league table.
"We work like every day, we come here to give our best and they are different matches and different moments. We are working for things to go well for us. Being here always demands winning, no matter how and in any situation, and that's what we're preparing for. This Sunday we face Catholic, we have to try to win and then we'll see what happens," said Casanova.
Regarding the absence of goalkeeper Cristóbal Campos, who is with Darío Osorio in the Chilean national team for the friendlies against Morocco and Qatar, the defender calms things down.
"For me, both Martín Parra and Pedro Garrido are prepared, they give me confidence and the rest of the guys. Whoever has to play goalkeeper, I know they will do well. They are two guys who always train at full speed. They give everything they have to continue growing as players. It's the coach's decision, but I see them both doing well," he said.
Casanova adds that "both Darío and Cristóbal are important to us, but there are also players here who train and sacrifice like them, and they will always be prepared. Hopefully, the coach makes the best decision with those of us who are here, we will go out to seek the match."
Regarding the rival, he had praise for Mauricio Isla and José Pedro Fuenzalida: "we are aware of what they bring to the game, they are disruptive, but we also have our own strengths and we work to neutralize them and play our game."
Finally, Luis Casanova states that the victory against Palestino "is a boost of morale. Feeling like a winner after a match motivates you and gives you an extra boost. And we are aware that we have to continue improving what we did the other day. We train hard to keep improving... It will be important for us to have a full stadium (Santa Laura) with our fans and give them the victory, it would be nice."