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On Sunday, in the upcoming Catalan capital derby between "Barcelona" and "Espanyol," the Primera leaders will once again be led by Tito Vilanova. This was confirmed at a press conference by the assistant of the team's head coach, Jordi Roura.
"T. Vilanova has not stopped surprising us, and he continues to do so. Yes, he will lead the team in the match against 'Espanyol.' The coach still needs to visit doctors and undergo various treatment procedures, but I can confirm that Tito is feeling great. He is strong and full of energy, which is the most important thing for us," noted J. Roura, who temporarily coached the team in the last match of 2012 against "Valladolid."
According to the assistant, the illness of the team's head coach did not affect the team's preparation process for the matches and daily training.
"We are preparing for the matches as usual. The players reacted emotionally to the news about T. Vilanova's illness, they were shocked, but all team members are professionals and understand perfectly that they have to fight until the end. The players can now reward their ailing coach by winning games. This has further united a team that was already very cohesive," emphasized the 45-year-old football specialist.
T. Vilanova underwent throat surgery on December 20 last year. During the surgery, a small relapsed cancerous tumor was removed, and the "Barcelona" coach will have to continue chemotherapy treatment for at least 6 weeks.
