Philippe Montanier says he has been impressed by Celta Vigo since the Galicians earned promotion at the end of last season.
The Real Sociedad boss sees his players take on Paco Herrera’s men at Anoeta on Saturday evening and is wary of the threat posed by their opponents.
“They have made a good impression upon me,” Montanier told a Press conference. “Not only in the first La Liga game against Malaga but in pre-season against Wigan Athletic and Atletico Madrid.
“They are a side that is capable of playing good football, with long and short balls, and can also play at speed as they showed against Malaga, when they did not deserve to lose.
“They are on a good roll after promotion and have lots of enthusiasm. It will be a difficult game for us but I hope it will be a difficult game for them also.”
Speaking of his line-up for the game, the Frenchman acknowledged he had ‘an idea what it was’ but would wait until the day of the game.
“There could be a couple of changes but I won’t be altering the whole team because for me the match against Barca was one I could draw conclusions from.
“But I’m expecting a lot from my players in this game as I see it as the culmination of seven or eight weeks of hard work.
“It’s a chance to show the quality we have in the squad and I’m also looking to be more solid at the back and efficient up front.”
Montanier will be missing Inigo Martinez, David Zurutuza and Gorka Elustondo through injury, although he trusts in the other squad members he has at his disposal.
“It’s true they are all important players but we have good replacements and will need to play well without them.
“The squad is more important than two or three individuals,” he explained.
