"I have never told the players that they are favorites. Talking about this doesn't give you points or goals." That's how forceful Jonatan Giráldez was in the preview of the match against Brann. The Blaugrana coach rejects the poster of clear winners against the Norwegians and demands a good game to seal the passage to the semi-finals.
With the 1-2 in the first leg, the footballers from Culer are facing a tighter score than they usually have. For this reason, his coach knows that he must not give way to overconfidence: "What gives you victories is to do things well", he warned.
Brann was a worthy opponent in the first leg in Bergen, The return leg at Johan Cruyff will be no exception. Giráldez praised the "brave and aggressive defensive" proposal of Martin Ho's team and expects "a game very similar to the first leg".
With regard to the game in Norway, the Galician coach spoke of improving in two aspects: "Being tight defensively and watching the arrivals of their lanes". Giráldez believes that if they maintain the good statistics they have in all competitions, victory will be closer: "Football is about goals and we are enjoying a good run of chances. If we are able to generate the same volume of opportunities, we will take advantage of them. I think that tomorrow (for today) we will see a very good game", he said.
In the casualty section, Giráldez will continue to be without the injured Mapi León, Gemma Font and Jana Fernàndez, although he explained that the latter has done some training with the group and that "we will see her very soon" on the field . Alexia Putellas, who has already fully recovered, has been adding minutes in the last few games, both in the starting eleven and from the bench: "She is training very well, the sensations are good. After breaking the ice and competing, she is part of the squad and is available", he pointed out about the captain.
On the other hand, the Blaugrana coach also referred to the meeting held this week in Barcelona between some heavyweights in the Barça dressing room and the president of Liga F, Beatriz Álvarez. A meeting in which the captains participated and also players such as Mapi León or Aitana Bonmatí and in which they exposed to the president of the League their concern about the lack of competitiveness in the Spanish league. Giráldez confirmed the existence of this meeting, and showed his discomfort that it had been leaked to the press: "Yes, there was a meeting. We are already used to the news flying, especially if it comes from within", he said, annoyed. The Blaugrana coach did not want to go further into the subject and asked to focus on the important Champions League tie: "There can be nothing that distorts the game. All the noise must be directed towards the party", he said.
