MAURO SILVA: "THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING WEEKEND" 

Midfielder Mauro Silva affirms that Deportivo is living a crucial

day. He believes that Depor will defeat Osasuna at Riazor. At the

same time, he admits he will be keeping an eye on the Bernabeu,

waiting for a draw between leaders Real Madrid and second qualified

Valencia.



Q. How is it going to be for Depor today?

A. Our main objective is to get the three points. The match at the

Bernabeu also holds a special relevance for us.



Q. How does the Real Madrid-Valencia match affect the squad?

A. We obviously have extra motivation to win, because if we do it

we'll close the gap for sure. They both can't win. Either Valencia

or Real Madrid will fail and then we'll be able to get near the top

of the table.



Q. What result would be better for Depor?

A. I guess that the best for us would be a draw, because in this

way the both would lose points and we could close the gap a bit more.



Q. What do you think about Depor's rivals today, Osasuna?

A. Osasuna are the underdogs this season. We have to be alert because

they're physically very strong and they fight from the beginning to

the very end of the match.



Q. Do you believe that Osasuna will miss players in the midfield?

A. When a team loses important players due to injury or sanction, the

rival theoretically takes advantage of that. But, to be honest, we can't

be overconfident with this team.



Q. Do you think that Real Madrid will eventually suffer for the Copa effort?

A. When a team is playing the Copa they are more tired, that's obvious.

But this doesn't happen to Real Madrid only. Anyway, when you play many

games and have no rest you pay for it sooner or later. Let's hope that

Real Madrid pays for the Copa effort. Depor can't think that Real Madrid

is going to fail. We have to do our business and get the three points

against Osasuna.



Q. Therefore, do you think that Real Madrid will not go down?

A. We can't expect them to fail. We can't wait for that. We simply have

to stay close to them, just in case things go bad for them.



Q. Will pressure affect Real Madrid at the end of the season?

A. I don't think so. There're players at Real Madrid who know what

playing under pressure is. They want to win it all, and they have

lots of experience.



Q. Are they the favourites?

A. Right now they're the leaders, so they're closer than anyone else

to claim the title. Anyway, both Valencia and ourselves are capable

to win it. The most important thing now is to be up there, near the

top positions, and take advantage of any mistake from the rivals.