Villarreal will face Real Madrid in a key match in La Liga. Before the match, Villarreal manager Marcelino attended the press conference and expressed his views on the team's injury situation, the match against Real Madrid, the players' status and the team's mentality.
Injuries and illnesses
Marcelino revealed that the team has added an injured player, Denis Suarez, compared to the previous game, while players with long-term injuries, such as Ayoze, remain unavailable.
Against Real Madrid
Marcelino said that the team went into the match with great expectations and that despite the strength of the opposition, Villarreal had the confidence and ambition to challenge. He mentioned that Real Madrid just lost a game after 37 unbeaten matches and that the Bernabeu has not been defended since 2023, but it was Villarreal that won the last time at the Bernabeu. Marcelino emphasized that although the game will be tough, it will not diminish the team's confidence and ambition.
Impact of Ayose's absence
As a coach, Marcelino said it is important to consider the players available at hand rather than those who are absent. He believes that the team has enough squad and strength to make up for Ayose's absence and incorporate individual abilities from a team philosophy.
Toughness of the game
Marcelino believes that the game that looks the least tough at the moment is the Barcelona game (1-5 loss), but Barcelona also experienced a painful loss. He accepts that Villarreal's games are usually tough, but the team is happy with the performance so far and wants to be more efficient in attack and concede fewer goals.
Direct competitor or not
Marcelino doesn't see the game as a match between direct rivals, as Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world and Villarreal doesn't compete with the same resources. However, he said that the team has accumulated a lot of points and performed well, so there are expectations but also understand the difficulty of the match.
Real Madrid in bad shape?
Marcelino doesn't think Real Madrid are in poor form, pointing out that they have the most accurate shooters, are the team with the longest time of possession, play the most games in the opponent's half, and have scored the most goals in the second half.
Stability of the team
Marcelino said that when things are going well, the coach doesn't make too many adjustments. He'll try to play to the players' strengths, but won't put them under extra physical or mental burdens. The overall tactics won't change much.
Villarreal's hunger
Marcelino emphasized that the team tries to instill a mentality of hunger and show it in the games. He mentioned that the team showed this hunger in both the Sevilla and Mallorca games.
1,000 fans head to Madrid
Marcelino said that 1,000 fans traveling to Madrid was an inspiration for Villarreal. He thanked the fans for their support and said that the team will reward them with a full performance. He emphasized that the team that performs solidly at home usually tops the table, so the team has to be a solid team.
