Marcelino expects an attractive and hard-fought tie against Olympique de Marseille
Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral spoke to the media on Wednesday at the Stade Vélodrome at Olympique de Marseille. Accompanied by Gerard Moreno, the Asturian coach spoke ahead of the first leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 clash against the French side.
“The team is in good shape. We’ve been competing well and playing good games for several weeks now. Now we’re also getting good results,” said Marcelino, referring to the Submarine’s good momentum in the league championship.
Likewise, the Yellows’ head coach expressed his satisfaction at playing with Villarreal in this type of continental play-offs: “Now we’re coming to this great stage to face a great tie against a great rival. We are happy to be in the situation we are in to face such a beautiful and important match.”
For Marcelino, Olympique de Marseille are a familiar face. A circumstance that he believes will not affect the tie: “The fact that I’ve coached Marseille this season won’t affect things. There have already been other head coaches and the current one has only been here for a short time. I don’t think the fact that I know the team is going to be very important. What we do have is a lot of enthusiasm and a desire to face the game. We are up against a great club and I think the tie will be very attractive.”
In the same vein, the coach of the Groguet side said that it will be a very competitive duel: “When I saw the draw I thought it would be a nice tie, between two very good teams, competitive and that it will be very nice. When I arrived here I would have liked to fulfil the contract we signed, but different circumstances prevented it and now we only have to think about the present. The past are experiences that we have lived and from which we must learn. Now we have to focus on enjoying the match against a great team and enjoy the stage where we are going to play.”
