The Yellows defender underlined that the team have an exciting end of the season ahead of them
Villarreal defender Raúl Albiol appeared in front of the media this Wednesday, during the ‘Media Day’ in the build-up to the UEFA Europa League final on 26th May in Gdansk (Poland).
An exciting final week
“Our aim was have chances of qualifying for Europe in the last week of the competition. We are also going to be able to play in a final. We’re where we wanted to be at the start of the season.”
Real Madrid and Manchester United, two big opponents
“It’s a nice week. We’re playing against two historic sides. In LaLiga, against Real Madrid and in the Europa League final against Manchester United. We can’t wait. We want to enjoy the week as much as possible and fight for victory in both games.”
Being mentally and physically strong
“The final is a great game. An exciting tie that we all want to play in, but we need to get ready for it the same way that we have done with all the previous games. We need to make sure it feels natural. Being calm is important. The physical and emotional part will play an important role. We need to be strong during the game. A lot of things happen in the games and we need to be ready for everything.”
Finding the best way to compete against the favourites, Manchester United
“Because of their history and because of their squad, Manchester United are the favourites ahead of the final. They’re a giant in the football world. This is the first final we are going to play in. We know what our strengths are and the only way we can win is by being at our best.”
An opponent dangerous up front
“We haven’t studied them yet, but we know they’re an attacking side, who arrive well and have players with a lot of quality. We will need to be very strong defensively to not suffer. If they’re on form, they can cause you a lot of damage. They are a team with a lot of potential. From there, we will study their strengths and weaknesses. We will prepare for the game as best as possible, trying to hurt them and show off our strengths. We hope it will be a tight final and not a very open game.”
