Gayà: "We will be a side who look for the opposition goal with plenty of desire"

José Luis Gayà, one of the Valencia CF players with previous experience of UEFA Europa League semifinal action from the 2014 heartbreak against Sevilla, has a chance to put that memory to rest on Thursday against Arsenal. To do so, he has called upon the fans to help out VCF in perhaps the biggest game of the season so far at Mestalla.

A message for the fans
"Mestalla will definitely play a fundamental role in the tie. We need the fans and I'm sure that they won't let us down. We are going to give everything we have to reach another final. The team will go out to win, we'll see a side with a lot of intensity and with the desire to reach another final."

The 2014 semifinal against Sevilla FC
"I was there for that tie. After the 2-0 result that Sevilla took in the first leg, I remember that the team were confident of turning the result around -and we were 2 minutes away from doing just that. In the end, the most important thing is to believe that it's possible, and we the players believe it. That's the resality, otherwise we wouldn't play the game. Mestalla will be with us and we will need the fans. We are 90 minutes away from another final, but we know how difficult getting there will be."

A potential first final
"I'm very excited about continuing to grow here. I like to look at the present, and we have the opportunity to play another final. I'm focused on having a good game, with the support of Mestalla -which has to be fundamental. I'm sure that they will be our twelfth man. We will give everything right to the last minute, and we have to try to go through."

The buildup
"It isn't easy to manage these kinds of emotions. I've experienced several spectacular welcomes at Mestalla, and they are moments in which there is a lot of emotion, but it's one that motivates everybody. The energy they give us is positive and that's how we have to go out there and play."

Lessons from the first leg
"We've learned that you have to be alert for 90 minutes. You can't lose switch off at any moment. You have to play each minute as if it were the last. If you lose focus, then the opposition score, as they have very good players. We have to have every sense turned up at every minute. We have to try to win every battle, and we will be a side who look for the opposition goal with plenty of desire."