Claudio Giráldez, coach of Celta de Vigo, spoke to the media ahead of the Copa del Rey round of 16 match against Real Madrid.
First time at the Bernabéu: “I’m very excited. It’s one of the pitches I’ve never played on before. In the Copa and in a single match, you can’t do better. We are convinced that we are going to have a very good match and that we will be able to qualify. Of course, it’s a special match for me because of my past there.”
Marcos Alonso: “We called him up and we are confident that he will be ready to play. He recovered very quickly and did some of the training with the group.”
Arbitration controversy: “The other day I was wrong about the referee. It’s something I try not to do and I shouldn’t have gone to judge what a professional who is doing his match like us is doing. J I will try not to do it again. I have confidence in the good work of the referees and in this country we have a very good level. We must concentrate on our work and when we do not win, we are responsible for it.
What percentage chance do you give your team of passing? “50%, like in any football match. We have the arguments to eliminate the European and La Liga champions.”
Real’s defeat in the Clasico: “It makes them even more dangerous. They are a very dangerous team when they play at 200% and have a good level of energy, motivation and daring. I hope we can make them chase the ball and minimize their offensive potential.”
Game plan: “We will have different players in the team, the approach will probably not be the same, the scenario is not the same, there is a different connotation since it is a knockout match. There will be adjustments on their side, as always in Balaídos they changed their formation a lot, we will see what they do tomorrow.
Possible penalty shootout: “We work on them every week.”
