ROMANIA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao prepare for Europa League final

Record ID: 702091

  • Title: ROMANIA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao prepare for Europa League final
  • Date: 9th May 2012
  • Summary: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (MAY 8, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STREETS VARIOUS OF NATIONAL STADIUM BEGINNING OF THE NEWS CONFERENCE OF ATHLETIC BILBAO (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DEFENDER ANDONI IRAOLA SAYING: "Of course we are very excited and looking forward to this game. Obviously we want to play strongly and attack so we can finish this competition as well as we've been playing all along." PRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MIDFIELDER ANDER HERRERA SAYING: "This is a fact that we have take in account, but I don't think it matters because we've beaten a lot of teams which had players much older then we are. If age is in the favour of Atletico Madrid, we only have to play as we always do - with a lot of power and strong hopes of winning. " REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATHLETIC BILBAO COACH MARCELO BIELSA SAYING: "Tomorrow it is one more challenge, a final game always requires a superior will to win the game. We are very convinced that this moment will come, so we can work and build in order to win the final championship. VARIOUS OF TRAINING BY ATHLETIC BILBAO REPORTERS NEWS CONFERENCE OF ATLETICO MADRID (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) STRIKER RADAMEL FALCAO SAYING: "It is like all the finals, we will have a lot of fights; both teams want to win. The two coaches know each other. Both teams come from the same league. Both teams will have advantages and disadvantages so I think all those little details and the concentration and the implementation will determine the game." REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORWARD ADRIAN LOPEZ SAYING: "I think we have to be a very strong team from the first minute to the ninetieth and do what we always done - try to be a united team while attacking and defending. Since we know all this we have a good chance to win. But we also know that Athletic is a very good offensive team which can harm us." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID COACH DIEGO SIMEONE SAYING: "Since we know Bilbao plays very strong in a vertical and attacking position we have to be very balanced. For the time being we can hold our positions but then we can quickly advance down the wings. Yes, I'm totally convinced that the team of Bilbao is going to be a very strong and brave team, which will use all its youth from the midfield to the front. They will try to attack with all their manpower, and we will find our strategy so things will come good in the end." VARIOUS OF TRAINING BY ATLETICO MADRID
  • Embargoed: 24th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Romania
  • Country: Romania
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA90MXLM16AOBSF9DWUGDG66FKM
  • Story Text: Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid held news conferences on Tuesday (May 8) as the two Spanish teams prepare for their Europa League final to be played in Bucharest on Wednesday (May 9).
    Athletic Bilbao's success in reaching the Europa League and Copa del Rey finals this season is down to the youth team coaches who cultivated the players in the current side, according to coach Marcelo Bielsa.
    Midfielder Ander Herrera pointed this out during the team's news conference on Tuesday.
    "We've beaten a lot of teams which had players much older then we are. If age is in the favour of Atletico Madrid, we only have to play as we always do - with a lot of power and strong hopes of winning," he said.
    Unusually in Europe, Bilbao, who face Atletico Madrid in Wednesday's Europa League final, shun expensive signings and field only players with connections to the Basque region, raising most of their own talent.
    Bielsa, who took over at the start of this season, revamped the team and replaced their traditional physical style with an adventurous passing game, has earned praise for leading them to their first European final for 35 years.
    Looking down as usual, coach Bielsa said his team had the greater will to win.
    "Tomorrow it is one more challenge, a final game always requires a superior will to win the game. We are very convinced that this moment will come, so we can work and build in order to win the final championship.
    Atletico Madrid's striker Radamel Falcao said: "It is like all the finals, we will have a lot of fights; both teams want to win. The two coaches know each other. Both teams come from the same league. Both teams will have advantages and disadvantages so I think all those little details and the concentration and the implementation will determine the game."
    Forward Adrian Lopez commented: "I think we have to be a very strong team from the first minute to the ninetieth and do what we always done - try to be a united team while attacking and defending. Since we know all this we have a good chance to win. But we also know that Athletic is a very good offensive team which can harm us."
    Atletico's coach Diego Simeone said that he expected Bilbao to use their attacking play but he hinted at a strategy to counter it.
    "Since we know Bilbao plays very strong in a vertical and attacking position we have to be very balanced. For the time being we can hold our positions but then we can quickly advance down the wings. Yes, I'm totally convinced that the team of Bilbao is going to be a very strong and brave team, which will use all its youth from the midfield to the front. They will try to attack with all their manpower, and we will find our strategy so things will come good in the end," he said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register