Marcelino García Toral warns that Saturday’s clash at Mestalla will be a very intense one
Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral has said that he expects a very demanding encounter in Saturday’s derby against Valencia CF (9:00pm CEST):
“Valencia play in a very similar way to us and tend to start matches strongly. They have beaten Athletic Club and Getafe at home. It is a derby, and that always adds an emotional element that makes things more difficult. We will try to play a good match and counter a very direct team. They will push us to perform at our best for the full 90 minutes.”
The Asturian coach expressed full confidence in his players:
“We are in good shape. We need to separate competitions and focus again on LaLiga. The Champions League match is already far behind us. This is an exciting game, and we want to return to winning ways. It will be a very tough match, and in recent seasons Villarreal have not had much success in this fixture, but our motivation to win is high. We must build on what we did against City and come out stronger. We know how to do many things well, and from that base we must generate optimism and ambition — always with respect for our opponent.”
Regarding his analysis of the opposition, Marcelino underlined Valencia’s strengths:
“Valencia have good players, even though they are not playing in Europe or at the top of the table. Up front they have quick, aggressive and clinical attackers. They have a strong structure and clear identity. They compete well, and that is something their current coach has given them after saving the team from a difficult situation last season. They are a side that play good football, with many similarities to us — they build from the back, counter-attack well and defend solidly with all their players. They are clearly defined as a team, with evident automatisms and quality individuals.”
Finally, the Villarreal CF head coach stressed the importance of earning all three points at Mestalla to stay in the Champions League spots after ten league matches:
“If we can win there, it would be extremely valuable to remain in the top four. The calendar is demanding and very tough, especially with the added difficulty of the Champions League. We would have every reason to be proud and satisfied with the players. Our response has been very good so far. Hopefully we can win and keep third place, but we must take things step by step — everything can change. What matters is knowing that we are on the right path.”
