Marcelino: "We will have to be at our best to get into the semifinals"

Previewing Thursday's UEFA Europa League game against Villarreal CF, coach Marcelino García Toral gave his opinions on what he expects from the first leg encounter in his pre-match press conference. His session in front of the media came after that of Villarreal coach Javi Calleja, who had said that Valencia CF are the favourites in the tie.

Favourites or not?
"Irrespective of the terms anyone uses to take on pressure or take it away from us, it's evident that two good teams are playing each other tomorrow. Villarreal haven't lost any of their 10 games so far in the Europa League this season, and have knocked out sides like Sporting CP and Zenit St. Petersburg. This competition is a source of liberation for them, and one in which they are showing their true potential. They have great talent and extraordinary players, as well as the biggest budget in the club's history. Neither side should be tagged as favourites. It's a derby and we are both two games away from the semifinals. Nobody wants to let that get away from them."

The benefits of playing against a side in trouble in LaLiga
"I don't think it's positive. I said before that I didn't like how the draw turned out. It's not good for either side for us to play each other in the quarterfinals, as in the semis at least we would have had one of us be semifinalists, and if we had met in the final then one of us would win the competition. If you're playing in the Europa League, you want to go up against sides that you don't normally play. Villarreal CF have a very good record in the Europa League, just as we predicted at the start of the season. They knocked out two good sides and topped their group, as well as winning 1-3 against Zenit in Russia and beating Sporting CP in Portugal. They have very good players, and on a good day they scored 4 against FC Barcelona. We should respect them to the fullest, and those who believe it is going to be an easy tie are not being realistic in their analysis. It's going to be very tough, against good opposition who will have the same excitement as us. We're ready for the difficulty we will face, and know that we have to perform at our best to get to the semifinals."

On which competition are Valencia CF focusing?
"In LaLiga, after two extraordinary results and another that we hadn't foreseen, with 21 points still up for grabs, we are in the fight for the Champions League spots. We would have taken that in January. In the UEFA Europa league we are four games away from a final, and we have to focus all of our attention on the most immediate game; when that's over, we have to recover as well as possible for the next match, whatever competition it is in. We've maintained our concentration up until now, and we have to keep going on this path."