MADRID, 15 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The U21 national coach, Luis de la Fuente, acknowledged the difficulty of Tuesday’s visit to Russia, his “toughest rival” in the qualifying phase for the 2023 European Championship and against whom they will have to give “a level superior “to what they have shown so far if they want to win, with the addition of the complicated weather conditions that they will encounter and which they will have to” overcome “.
“I think it is the most difficult game because it is the toughest rival in the group and obviously it can leave the classification very on track if we get a positive result, but we are also aware that Russia is in a great moment with four consecutive victories and zero goals conceded. “De la Fuente warned in statements to the official media of the national team.
The Rioja coach is clear that they must “play very serious” and “give the best version to have a chance to compete and win.” “But in this case we have to give a higher level than the one offered so far to have a chance to win and have a clearer path,” he stressed.
The coach did not hide either that although “the greatest difficulty is the one that marks the rival”, they will have to deal with “uncontrollable conditions like the temperature, the cold or the field that begins to freeze”. “This does not benefit us, but we already knew where we were coming to play and this week we have done a mentalization work with the players about what we could find. We have to overcome and compete as equals,” he said.