Llorente Aware Athletic Bilbao Need To Fire At San Mamés

Athletic Bilbao take on Sporting Gijón in the Copa Del Rey this week, knowing that the onus is on them to get a lead heading into the second leg.

With the match taking place at San Mamés, Fernando Llorente acknowledged as much today, saying they, 'must try to resolve the tie at home.'

"If things go well we must not relax, because we don't know what could happen in the second-leg. We must try to finish the night with all the goals we can though, we cannot change our style," he told AS .

The last time these sides met, Athletic ran out 3-0 winners in La Liga, and even though Llorente knows this will be different, he admitted the earlier result shows that, 'playing like that we are capable of doing it again.'

"In many ways, that [previous result] does not mean it will happen again, we will have to work to try to do it," he mused.

"We know what Sporting are capable of, and the games that they have won this season."

On a personal level Llorente, who scored the winner against Valencia at the weekend, is pleased with how things are going, although hesays tiredness is starting to set in.

"For now I am recovering well after each game. When I begin the next one I do it well enough, but for sure I finish the games with less energy than previous matches," he admitted.

Llorente's good form lately has helped the team to climb to ninth in the table and with Almería coming up, rumours have started of a possible European place.

However, the forward remained coy on the subject, and also added he is not aware of any contract talks yet.

"Europe? That remains to be seen. If we win two more games, we could begin to look up, but for now we must be calm," he said.

"I do not know about that [contract talks]. My representative is doing it and I isolate myself completely to be able to play to a good level on the pitch and to focus on what I do, scoring goals."

James Walker-Roberts, Goal.com