Marcelino: Villarreal win important

Villarreal boss Marcelino has stressed the need to win their first leg Last 16 Europa League tie against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday.

The Yellow Submarine boss emphasised the importance of a good result at El Madrigal to take to the BayArena for the return leg on March 17, whilst at the same time stating the need for his players to keep a clean sheet.

“The first game is very important and while it does not define the tie it conditions it,” the 50-year-old told a Press conference.

“The idea is to win and if we could do that without conceding a goal that would be ideal. It will not be easy against these opponents, but we are in good shape and very excited. We’ll enter this game with maximum enthusiasm and with the sole intention of winning it.”

Marcelino expects a thrilling encounter against the Germans and went on to highlight their potential.

“It will be a game without respite, similar to last season when we played Salzburg. It will be played at a fast pace because our opponents will press the ball with a lot of players. They have a way of playing that will cause us to be intelligent both in defence and attack.

“Bayer do everything with maximum intensity and are very fast on the counter-attack. Their latest results have been caused by injuries in defence, but they will have key players back for this game so will be at their best level.”  

 

Tags Bayer Leverkusen Marcelino
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