Lopetegui on fitness, Soler and needing defenders from the academy

Julen Lopetegui assesses Sevilla's fitness ahead of the derby, discusses Carlos Soler's adaptation and insists on the need for homegrown defenders

Julen Lopetegui spoke to the media assembled at the Estadio Jesús Navas on the eve of the Seville derby. With the team training behind him, the Sevilla coach addressed the issues of fitness, Carlos Soler's adaptation, and the transfer window.

Fitness

The Sevilla coach revealed that Karim Rekik and Jesus Corona will be out for the Seville derby, while Marcos Acuña is a doubt.

Rekik had been training with the group but suffered a setback, while Corona has not yet recovered from the injury he sustained against Rayo Vallecano and Acuña is nursing a knock.

Soler

Julen Lopetegui also spoke about Carlos Soler, who has been one of the standout performers for Sevilla this season.

The former Valencia man has quickly adapted to his new surroundings and has already scored three goals in eight appearances.

Lopetegui said: "Carlos Soler is a great player, he has a lot of quality and he is adapting very well to the team."

Defenders

With Sevilla having conceded nine goals in their last three matches, the coach was asked about the team's defensive problems.

Lopetegui admitted that Sevilla need to improve defensively, but he also insisted on the need for homegrown defenders.

He said: "We need to improve defensively, but we also need to have more defenders from the academy."

"We have a lot of quality players in the squad, but we need to find the right balance between experience and youth."