Marcelino: “The team that defends the best will reach the final“

Just over 48 hours out from one of Valencia CF's biggest games of the season, coach Marcelino looked ahead to the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg against Real Betis in his pre-match press conference.

Expectations from the game
We and Betis both have our own identities. Betis are a side whose play is based on possession.  We have had very similar games against them and we know where we are efficient. Betis will have long spells of possession and we will have attacks and counterattacks as many times as we can. Betis are also dangerous on the counter, so we will have to defend well. The team who defend the best will reach the final, but we will be using the philosophy that the way to get there is to win this game.

Pre-match nerves
This game is played with our heads and our hearts, but in that order so that emotions don't get the better of us. We are very excited, but we have to activate this correctly to achieve our best performance. We all want to get to the final. We have to be united so that this doesn't get converted into anxiety, and feel the support of the fans in the difficult moments.

Concerns about Betis
Betis are a very consistent side and are having a good season. They have a well defined style of play and players in great form, such as Canales and Lo Celso. They play good football and have beaten FC Barcelona and AC Milan away from home, but we are also in good shape and ready to try to reach the final.

An obligation to reach the final
We can't make the mistake of thinking that we are already through. We have the obligation to compete and to do everything to win, but football is unpredictable. We are going to suffer and work hard so that we can enjoy ourselves at the end. Everything is up in the air, and it will all be decided over 90 minutes.