The captain of Rayo Vallecano, Óscar Valentín, believes he has an advantage over Crystal Palace in the final of the Europa Conference League, his locker room.
COPE’s El Partidazo reports the 31-year-old’s comments today ahead of the Conference League final.
Better than the Crystal Palace
Rayo is the surprise of the competition and few expected the Spanish team to go this far. This is only the second time they have appeared in European competition after competing in the UEFA Cup in the 2000-01 season.
Like Crystal Palace, this will be their first European final. They reached the semi-finals after an impressive 2-0 victory over Strasbourg in the semi-finals.
And captain Oscar Valentín believes they have one important aspect in their favor: the current power of their dressing room.
“I’m sure that the Crystal Palace dressing room is not like the one we have here. That’s a point in our favor,” he said.
“Lift the Conference League? It’s the best farewell for Oscar Trejo.”
Fatigue adjustment in
The Spanish team reaches the final after an impressive season in Spain that currently places them in eighth place, just four points off the top six.
It’s an impressive return from a team that most expected to be struggling on the wrong side of the table this season. Instead, they are seven points clear, with a final game against Alavés on Saturday before the final four days later.
It’s even more impressive considering they are outperforming teams ranked considerably higher in terms of roster costs within their division.
Unfortunately, it also means that this season has been exhausting. That was something that Óscar Valentín was willing to admit after a recent draw with Valencia.
“Taking into account that the team is very tired from the accumulated games, it is a good point on a field that is always difficult. It brings us closer to our goal, almost within reach,” Unión Rayo denounces him saying:
“We have a fairly large squad. It has been proven that whoever plays performs well. Fatigue is taking its toll on us. We have been undefeated in many games and the team is focused for these next two games.”
“It’s a mental effort that we have to make week after week. With so many games coming together quickly, we don’t have time to think about the final. I think the team is focused on finishing the season strong to build momentum for that long-awaited final.”
