Beñat Turrientes hopes Real Sociedad can continue their winning streak and add to his goal tally in both European competition and the league.
Beñat Turrientes hopes Real Sociedad can maintain their good momentum heading into Sunday's derby at San Mamés and return from Bilbao with a crucial victory to boost both their points total and morale. As Marca previously reported, the player from Beasain was delighted to have scored his first La Liga goal against Levante recently.
Like the rest of the team, Turrientes is confident ahead of Sunday's derby. He said: "We are in very good form right now, but we also know that Sunday at San Mamés will be a very tough match. The team is preparing seriously because we want to continue this form and fight for three points. Derbies are always special and important for us and the fans. We know it's always hard to play there, but we've won the last few times, and we hope to continue that."
Real Sociedad are in excellent form heading into the match at San Mamés. Turrientes stated: "When the team is in good form and playing well, the feeling during the game is different. But I don't think there are favorites in this type of match; derbies have to be decided on the field. I believe it will be an exciting game. They will be highly motivated, and so will we, and we will fight with all our might for three points."
He was reminded that, as Marca had previously reported, Real Sociedad has an unprecedented number of goalscorers this season, with 13 players having found the net so far. Turrientes commented: "This shows the quality across all positions, and everyone is contributing. We hope to keep it up."
This statistic is also related to manager Pellegrino Matarazzo's rotation strategy, which gives every player an opportunity to compete. When asked how players handle not featuring on some days, Turrientes replied: "Indeed, everyone wants to play all the time, but we must understand that there are many games and intense competition. The key is to perform well when it's your turn and for everyone to contribute to the team."
Real Sociedad have scored many goals recently, but they have also conceded some. The two derby matches in the Copa del Rey last season, which ended 0-1 and 1-0, could serve as a reference. Turrientes said: "Indeed, we played a very complete game in all aspects in that Copa del Rey match, and we hope to replicate that performance. I think the second half against Levante showed that the team has made great progress in controlling the game."
In that 0-1 match, it was Turrientes who scored. He stated: "That was a very special moment, scoring in a derby and a Copa del Rey semi-final. It was a great moment for me, my family, and my friends."
After scoring his first goal in European competition, Turrientes finally found the net in the league, followed by this derby. He said: "Honestly, I've always felt a bit of frustration because I hadn't scored in the league yet. It seems that once you score one, more goals will come, so I'm very happy about that. Can I contribute more goals? I'm a box-to-box midfielder who likes to get into the box, and I have a good shot, people say that, and I know it myself. Now that I've scored one, let's see if I can score more."