Marcos Senna analyses the Round of 16 tie against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League
At midday Marcos Senna analysed the Round of 16 draw for the UEFA Europa League which took place in Nyon (Switzerland). The Brazilian born Spaniard, who attended the tournament, in his new role for the club, with the Villarreal CF Department of Institutional Relations, assured that the Submarine are capable of knocking out Bayer 04 Leverkusen who are fourth in the Bundesliga.
“We could have drawn an easier team, but it’s also true that it’s not the most difficult tie either. At this point in the competition there are no easy rivals. A positive is that five years ago we played against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and were good enough to get through to the next round. We have to go for it. I have no doubt the squad is already ready for what’s to come. It will be tough, but we’re good enough”, he commented.
For Senna, the fact that the team has already knocked out Napoli has made them even stronger: “Bayer 04 Leverkusen are fourth like us and I would say it’s a very even tie. In the last round we managed to eliminate Napoli. It’s clear that to go forward in a competition like the UEFA Europa League you have to suffer, but it makes winning all the more worthwhile”.
The Brazilian born Spaniard preferred Villarreal not to draw a Spanish team. “In the Round of 16 there are going to be some Champions League level ties. We have to be happy because we wouldn’t have liked to have faced a Spanish team. Athletic and Valencia have had the worst luck. We must focus on our tie and do our best to get through to the next round, like we’ve just done”.
Senna discusses the road to the next round: “We have to keep going the way we are. The most important thing is that the team is doing well and knows what they’re doing. Against Napoli we played very well. The key was winning at home and scoring a goals away from home”.
Lastly, he praised the Submarine’s defensive work, which he believes will also be very important against Bayer 04 Leverkusen: “Chicharito is a player that usually scores a lot of goals, but our defence is playing really well, which was shown as they kept Higuaín under covers last night”.
