Villareal will take on English side Arsenal tonight, in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal, on El Madrigal Stadium. The match will start off with a 1-0 deficit for the home side, due to a 41st minute goal by Arsenal defender Colo Roure in the first leg.
Despite of this situation, Chilean Manuel Pellegrini trusts his team to make a good effort and turn things around in the second leg. "There is no secret to our success", he said to the media on Tuesday. "We know that we do not have to change the way we play, especially at this stage of the competition; we'll play like we always do at home", continued Villareal`s coach.
The main weapon
for the Spanish side consists of striker and playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme. He has been the number one threat to Lehman`s post in the first leg, and all eyes will be focused on his play. In front of the club`s biggest performance of all times,
the Chilean does not seem pressured in any way by the importance of this match: "We have taken each match as it comes since the first round, but never without thinking that we can go even further".
On the other side, Arsene Wanger repeatedly stated that his team will not defend on El Madrigal, but try to score for the secure win. Of course, players like Henry, Ljundberg or Fabregas will try to make a difference, fighting to achieve the greatest performance in Arsenal`s history. Both teams are face to face to reaching it, but only one will succeed. Referring to that, coach Wenger stated: "We must play to win the game. I don't think they will score three. Let's try to score and that will be a big blow to them."
The big news for Arsenal is Sol Campbell`s comeback to the first team, as he will replace injured Phillipe Senderos. The English defender recovered from a nose injury in the Portsmouth game on the 12th of April, and is now seen as being very influential towards his teammates. "Sol was our central defender when we went 49 games unbeaten and that's why everybody still has complete confidence in Sol", said Wenger about his player.
One more thing about the game. Along with the first chance to reaching the final of UEFA Champions League in the club`s history, this may also be Arsenal`s first chance to participate in the competition next year, since they are currently 5th in the Premier League, with little chances to go past Tottenham Hotspurs in the standings. The only way to next year`s Champions League comes by winning this year`s trophy.
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