Marcelino: "Arsenal will demand the maximum from us"

Marcelino has warned that Valencia CF will be up against a tough side in Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night. The coach talked about the encounter in his pre-match press conference, shortly after the squad touched down at Luton Airport.

Expectations for the game
"I'm expecting a very difficult game. We're up against a team who have ability, talent, very fast transitions, who can attack quickly on any ball won in the midfield...Their two strikers have scored almost 50 goals. Özil is a great passer of the ball. They have footballers with great ability, a very good coach and a defined style.

"The game will have a similar level of difficulty to that against Atletico Madrid; they will demand the maximum from us. We're ready, we're motivated to get to the final after the problems we've had this season, and we're full of ambition."

Arsenal's recent results
"We've seen their games in this competition, such as their eliminating Napoli. That's why we believe we are going to be up against a great side who are very strong at home, in a very difficult tie for us -and hopefully for them as well. We have to treat every minute as if it were the last, from the 1st to the 180th."

"I always separate the domestic league results and the Europa League results, and in the latter they have a very good record. They have very good, international quality players, various World Cup winners, and that means that they know how to adapt to the situation -besides the fact that they are playing for a chance to reach a final. They are going to try to put the tie in their favour in the home leg, knowing that Mestalla is a tough ground to go to and that we are a very difficult team to beat. We have an enormous task ahead, we need to be very effective and fight for the possibility of reaching a final, which doesn't come around often."

Motivational messages
"This game shouldn't be any different to the others we have played in this competition. We've played a lot already and had difficult situations in terms of results, but we've been competing against great sides in LaLiga, the Champions League and the Europa League. We know our capabilities and attitude, and it fills us with joy to be have the prospect of reaching another final, after 180 minutes of complete focus, efficiency and a little bit of luck."

The ideal result for the second leg
"A win would give us an advantage. A draw would leave things even and a defeat would put us in difficulty. We have to be at our highest level from start to finish. At this stage of the competition, the smallest detail can take you through or deny you a place in the final."

VCF never reaching two finals in a single year
"If we can make our fans happy with that, then it would be phenomenal. On a professional level, it would be an enormous boost, but it's going to be very difficult. We have to be aware of the difficulty that it requires: If Valencia CF have never played two finals in a single year, then that means it's a hard thing to do. We have to take things step by step; we have reached one final and tomorrow we have the first game of a tie that would give us a second opportunity."