Virginia García underlines the opportunity of playing in a tough tie against a world-class side
Virginia García, Villarreal Women head coach, spoke to the media on Thursday to analyse the match against Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Copa de la Reina.
“We’re looking forward to the game with the utmost enthusiasm. It’s an opportunity to enjoy a very nice game against a world-class opponent with a lot of international players,” she said.
Virginia also acknowledged that this is a special match for her players: “We’re really looking forward to it. We want to be able to reflect the growth we have experienced during the first half of the season. We’ll work with a lot of enthusiasm for the rival and for the opportunity to play at the Mini Estadi.”
With regard to their opponents, the Villarreal coach was full of praise for her players: “They’ll make changes because they’re coming off the back of a recent game, but they have a lot of talent in their squad. It will be a very tough game because they are a team with a lot of records and they are going to put us under pressure. They also have direct players who do a lot of damage.”
As well as enthusiasm and desire, Virginia advocates adding solidarity and bravery to the formula to try to surprise a giant of women’s football like Real Madrid: “Our chances come down to being very solid and helping out in defence. With the ball, we have to be brave and try to get on the scoresheet. We know we’re going to suffer, but we’re mentally prepared. I expect Villarreal to be competitive and to want to finish the year well.”
Finally, the Villarreal Women head coach is excited about the possibility of playing at the Mini Estadi: “It will be the debut of many of the players on this pitch. We all dream of competing in matches like this one in the cup, on a spectacular pitch and in front of our own fans. We’re going to give it all we’ve got.”
