Villarreal head coach Marcelino García Toral spoke in advance about the La Liga match against Real Madrid in Round 8. He said the team is full of enthusiasm and anticipation for this expected tough match.  

Marcelino said: "We face this challenge with the joy of winning. Real Madrid is a very strong team and they have the ability to win all the championships. Although they just suffered a regrettable defeat, this makes them more threatening. We will be visiting the Bernabéu and the game will undoubtedly be very difficult, but we are looking forward to it. We have always performed well against strong teams and I believe this time will be no exception."  

"The key to moving forward lies in reducing mistakes and strengthening our defense. Both as a team and individually, we must maintain a high level of coordination and demonstrate composure and confidence in possession. We need to maintain efficiency in attack while simultaneously curbing the opponent's effective attacks. To win against an opponent like Real Madrid, we must achieve extremely high levels on both offense and defense. While this won't be easy, we will give our all and fight with passion for the game."  

"We still need to continue to observe the players' current training load. It's too early to draw conclusions, after all, we are only on the second day of the recovery cycle. Overall, our recovery is satisfactory, but the individual players' recovery progress is equally crucial. The match against Juventus was extremely demanding and was probably the most physically demanding one this season, so we need to prioritize restoring our physical and mental state. Maintaining a positive attitude is crucial to improving our competitive state, and we will make corresponding adjustments to the lineup based on the actual situation."  

Finally, Marcelino expressed his heartfelt joy at tying Manuel Pellegrini for the most matches in charge in Villarreal's history. He said: "Reaching this milestone is a source of immense joy for me and a source of immense pride for the entire team. It reflects not only our current form but also the board's recognition of our work. I sincerely thank the president and Fernando for their trust in me, as well as everyone who has supported and helped me throughout my two spells at Villarreal, making everything possible."