Edin Terzic says Athletic Club must be ready for the emotions that come with Sunday’s Basque derby against Real Sociedad, insisting the key is to stay calm when the game becomes heated. It will be his first official derby with Athletic Club and, as he noted, his first night match at San Mamés.
The derby arrives with both sides carrying momentum. Real Sociedad had won four consecutive LaLiga matches before Sunday’s meeting, while Athletic Club have scored ten goals in their last week, setting up a contest that already feels significant before a ball is kicked.
Terzic: emotions must be controlled
Terzic made clear that derby day is about more than tactics. “Los derbis están llenos de emociones y debemos estar preparados,” he said, stressing that his players need to know when to show emotion and when to hold it back.
He expanded on that point by saying Athletic must be able to express themselves when the moment demands it, but also keep their heads in the right place. For him, the challenge is not just intensity, but discipline under pressure.
That is the real test in a rivalry match like this. Athletic will need aggression and personality, but Terzic wants those qualities matched by control and clarity. In a derby, emotion can lift a team, but it can also distract it.
Why the past will not decide Sunday
There is some recent history to draw on, but Terzic was quick to put that in perspective. Athletic Club and Real Sociedad met in an EH Txapela friendly at Anoeta on October 2, and Terzic said that result should not be overplayed.
“Eso no me ayuda en absoluto,” he said, adding that he is more interested in analysing that game than using it as a prediction for what comes next. “El pasado siempre puede servirte para aprender, pero un derbi hay que ganarlo,” he added. For him, what happened before has value only if it helps prepare for the present.
He also pointed to his own milestone on Friday, when he turned 44 years old, but made it clear that neither birthdays nor previous meetings change the task now. The focus, he said, has to stay on Sunday and on what Athletic do in the moment.
A different kind of test at San Mamés
Terzic also had kind words for Real Sociedad, saying they are “en un buen momento de ánimo” and that their coach “aportó estabilidad y claridad desde el primer momento.” That is a useful warning for Athletic: this is not a derby against a side short of confidence.
The atmosphere at San Mamés should reflect that. Athletic are in form, Real Sociedad arrive with confidence, and Terzic knows the result will come down to which team can keep its head when the rivalry takes over.
For Athletic Club, the message from their coach is simple. Enjoy the emotion, but do not be consumed by it. In a derby of this size, the side that stays sharpest mentally is often the one that walks away happiest.
