Claudio Giráldez, the Celta Vigo head coach, praised Málaga CF's style of play at his Saturday press conference at Mourente, 24 hours before the two sides meet at Balaídos. The comments come with Celta sitting 16th in La Liga on 3 points from a possible 15 after five matches.

"A very attractive side"

Giráldez singled out the Andalusian club's approach to the game before facing them. "We're playing against a team that is very attractive in the way it plays," the Galician coach said, warning about Málaga's wingers and their ability to beat defenders one on one. He added that when Málaga have the ball and space they can also hurt teams through the middle, meaning Celta will need to defend in a low block, something that cost them against Athletic Club on 30 August, when the Basque side won 0-2 at Balaídos.

Carlos Dotor's future

Giráldez also addressed the situation of Carlos Dotor, on loan at Málaga this season after a spell in Segunda División to regain match fitness following a pubalgia injury. The coach explained the loan was designed so the young winger could return to Vigo in the future, having worked with him in his first season in charge at Celta. According to Giráldez, Dotor suits a system closer to a 4-3-3, since he is better at arriving in the box than building play from deep, while Celta currently need different profiles to attack space when playing with a back three.

Giráldez said he hopes Dotor has a good season even if he does not perform well on Sunday at Balaídos, insisting he does not believe in restricting a loaned player's campaign, though he admitted he would rather Dotor did not score against Celta. He added that if Dotor does not end up staying at Celta, he needs to play as many matches as possible this season to prove his level on the market.

Praise returned to Juan Carlos Andrés

Giráldez also had words for Juan Carlos Andrés, the assistant to Juanfran Funes in Málaga's dugout, calling him a reference point for many local coaches thanks to his brave, attacking football. Andrés thanked the affection he has received and said he felt proud to face Celta at Balaídos, returning the compliment to the Celta coach. "I'm really glad to see him in the top flight because he has been brave in many of his decisions," Juan Carlos Andrés said of Giráldez.

Absences and the next fixture

Celta go into the match without Aleix Febas, Borja Iglesias and Jones El-Abdellaoui, all still sidelined. The side, which has scored only 2 goals and conceded 5 this season, drew 1-1 away at Getafe last time out, with Carles Starfelt equalising in the 57th minute after an assist from Hugo González. Before hosting Racing Santander, currently 10th, on 19 September, Giráldez will be looking for a first league win and to close the nine-point gap to leaders Barcelona. The squad must first get past Málaga CF's visit to Balaídos this Sunday.