The Yellows’ head coach highlights the importance of the communion between the fans and the team to win at home (Sunday, 9pm CEST)
Villarreal’s head coach, Marcelino García Toral, spoke to the media about the upcoming match against Athletic Club, corresponding to Matchday 30 of the 2024/25 LALIGA EA Sports season, which will be kick-off this Sunday, at 9pm CEST, at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
The importance of the fans
“It’s a match between two very good, entertaining teams, who look for goals and who are very competitive. So I would say to the fans that they should support us, that the team deserves it, because they are very important in this game and in all the games we have left. We have six home games left. We need, more than ever, the support of the fans, because if we get a lot of points here at our ground, it could be decisive in the final standings. We have to be united in this final stretch of the season and, even more so, against a direct rival.”
Analysis of Athletic Club
“They are a very physical team, who play well and counter-attack phenomenally. Their attacking players are among the best in the league. They also have a defensive line that presses hard, wins duels and defends the box very well. But we are also good. It’s going to be a very close game and it’s going to be determined by small details.”
Next matches, decisive
“We go one game at a time. We’re not thinking about the second game when we haven’t even started the first. We have all our attention focused on Athletic. We play at home in front of our fans, we expect all their help, and we have to show all our ability. The truth is that it’s a very important game for both of us. Winning would bring us closer to our objective and strengthen us as well. We hope to show enough to win. The success in the penalty area will be the deciding factor.”
A tight table
“At this stage of the league, what is clear is that you are where you deserve to be. There is less than a quarter of the competition to go, so you are now where you have shown the ability to be. Athletic, for example, out of the last 20 games, they have only lost one. They are a very good team. Their stats say they’re one of the most effective teams in both areas, they’re good in attack and they’re one of the teams that get shot at the least. We have some very even numbers in some criteria of the game. Now there are six points separating us and we hope that on Sunday it will only be three.”
