Marcelino: Sergi Roberto's challenge on Pereira was very tough LaLiga - Valencia Wants equal treatment for all

This weekend Valencia come up against Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano in a tough tie, but coach Marcelino is still concerned by the upcoming Copa del Rey semi-final with Barcelona.

One of the major headlines from the first leg was injury to Andreas Pereira, who is expected to be out for a month after a challenge from Sergi Roberto.

"We've lost him for this game and many more, between three and six weeks, it was a very tough challenge," Marcelino said.

"I think that referees can make mistakes, but sometimes it's hard to understand the difference in criteria in their decisions.

"Referees are there to whistle and they do it, we should forget the referees and focus on our opposition.

"The same as you rate coaches and players, we see situations where we should see it being the same for all teams, but we have to stay focused because if we get distracted we lose our attention and concentration."

The coach also revealed that his team are feeling the effects of playing so many games with a cup run taking its toll.

"They are tired, but on Sunday we have to be at our best, our motivation levels are good," he explained.

"We've shown a high level against one of the three best in the world alongside Manchester City and PSG, we left the tie open and we have hope and motivation."

For now though, the focus is on LaLiga and a top of the table clash with Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.

"It's complicated, but we have to be aware that what's next is most important, us coaches won't be distracted and I don't think the players will either," he said.

"It would be a bonus getting a reward for our good performances although results have gone against us, we want to keep being competitive."

That does not diminish the effort that his side will put into their league fixture this weekend though.

"All the games are important, there are 16 left," Marcelino insisted.

"The stadium will provide an extra motivation, it will be very difficult because Atletico are very competitive.

"The aim is for the end of the season, I would have taken being this situation."

The ex-Villarreal coach is also trying to manage something of an injury crisis on the east coast, with several key players out as he provided an update.

"We have to wait until training [on Saturday afternoon], we can count on [Simone] Zaza, maybe [Geoffrey] Kondogbia, but with [Ezequiel] Garay it's more complicated.

"Gabriel [Paulista], of course, he's a passionate player and he knows he made a mistake but he will always compete for us, his level is very high and neither his injury nor his red card will affect him."

Finally, the coach also commented on his team's movement in the transfer window.

"With [Nemanja] Maksimovic I told you that it depended on if we could sign a player," he reiterated.

"I'm frankly happy because we have brought in players where we most needed them, with [Frances] Coquelin we have a great player to play alongside Dani [Parejo] and Kondogbia.

"The market affects the level of the squad."