He Atlético de Madrid faces its first appearance in the quarterfinals of the Women's Champions League in a situation that is not idyllic. The positives in COVID-19 of
Deyna Castellanos, Silvia Meseguer, Charlyn Corral, Leicy Santos and Laia Aleixandri will leave coach Dani González without five players who were called to be protagonists this Friday against him Barcelona in San Mamés. Against this background, the group will appeal “to the heart and the claw”, as explained this Wednesday in an interview with EFE the head of the women's section of the mattress club, Lola romero.
“We were very excited to start the season with this team and with the new signings, who will add experience and strength,” he stressed Lola romero, “But we find a situation that is quite delicate.” “We lost five players due to their positive for COVID-19 and, in addition to the drop in Virginia Torrecilla -that is recovering from a brain tumor-, we have five players who are coming out of an injury and Ludmila da Silva it will be dropped in the quarterfinals due to suspension, “he said.
He Atlético de Madrid traveled this Wednesday to Bilbao with the 14 players available from the first team and three from the subsidiary. In total, 17 footballers appear in the call made by the coach Dani Gonzalez for the crossing against Barcelona.
Despite the delicate situation of the squad, UEFA ruled out the postponement of the match and prevented the mattress entity from registering a seventh player in the place of ‘Vir’. The governing body of European football transmitted to the Atlético de Madrid that it could only field six new players with respect to the list of the knockout stages. It's about the Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, the Italian side Alia guagni, the Dutch central Merel van Dongen, the English midfielder Jade moore, the German extreme Turid knaak and the French attacker Emelyne Laurent.
“It has been difficult to leave out Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and Grace kazadi”Acknowledged Lola Romero.
During the conversation with EFE, Rosemary He insisted that the mattress squad will “fight to the death and compete with great enthusiasm.” “The players will give up their lives, like true warriors. That's what he's transmitting to me Amanda sampedro as captain. The players are not intimidated. We are depleted by fifty percent for this war, but they have all injected what is the Atlético de Madrid and what we are is courage and heart ”, he explained.
The rojiblanca leader noticed the “illusion” transmitted by the group ahead of their first appearance in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
“We asked for the postponement, but they have not authorized it, so the internal message is that we have to compete with a very strong mentality. More than ever we are a team and in this fight we hold on to each other. We will have to do twice as much, sacrifice more and fight more. It is time to bring out the breed. All players traveling to Bilbao they think this can be done. We have it extremely difficult, but we also have a fighting spirit, ”said Lola Romero.
“I see the team in the semifinals because I see them with strength and with great anger, wanting to turn an injustice into great joy. They are sad, yes; but not defeated. They are convinced to defend something that belongs to the whole group, also to the five players who have tested positive. If there is the heroic, it has to be now, “he added.
Asked about the five players who will cause sick leave due to COVID-19, Lola romero He confessed that “they are having a bad time” for a double reason: “for the fight for the bug and for not being with their companions.”
“I am left with the message that he sent me Laia Aleixandri. He told me that he was not thinking about the coronavirus but about missing a Champions. That speaks to his sportsmanship. The five have deserved to be in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. They had been fighting from the start with training and it's a shame they have to stay out. The rest are going to get the breed for them. We are the Atletand we are going to fight tooth and nail “, he assured Lola romero.