Marc Skinner opened Wednesday’s pre-match press conference by expressing Manchester United Women’s excitement ahead of playing away to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
On the eve of the 17:45 BST kick-off, there were media duties to attend to for the boss and midfielder Julia Zigiotti Olme, who previewed the clash with an assembly of reporters shortly after touching down in Spain earlier this evening.
Below is every word from that pre-match session, in which Skinner also detailed what he expects from our Liga F hosts and Zigiotti explained how she has quickly struck up a thriving midfield partnership with Hinata Miyazawa, since joining the club from Bayern Munich in the summer…
Marc Skinner:
“We’re excited. We’re looking forward to playing Atleti, fantastic team, fantastic club. We’re really looking forward to it. We know how good we are, we believe in ourselves, we also know we’re facing a really tough challenge. Tomorrow night will be a really good challenge for us – everyone is fit and raring to go.”
A question for Julia… you’ve already formed an impressive partnership with Hinata Miyazawa, can you shed some light on that? What’s it like playing alongside her?
Julia Zigiotti Olme: “I really enjoy playing with Hini, she’s a brilliant player and very easy to play with. We don’t have to talk that much on the pitch, we just look at each other and know what the other one is thinking. It’s been a real pleasure playing with her.”
One more for you Marc, what’s this occasion going to be like with our supporters here? What’s it going to be like having them in the house supporting as usual?
Skinner: “They’re such a special group of people. I look at the weekend, Everton, it felt like they filled the stadium. We promised to continue to progress the team, get into a European competition and give our fans a European tour. It means a lot to us as well, not just trying to progress in this competition playing against fantastic teams like Atleti, but actually to give our fans an experience – that’s what it’s about. We’re going to give absolutely everything to win the game because they deserve that because they’re paying their hard-earned money to come and watch us. So, hopefully they enjoy it, and we can put on a performance they can be proud of.”
Julia, you’ve experienced Champions League nights. It’s new for some of the players in this United squad, have any of them been asking you for advice? What have you told them?
Zigiotti: “Yeah, I just told them to enjoy it. It’s a big thing being in the Champions League but just try to see it as a normal game. We always want to go out and perform our best and show up for the fans. So, just try to see it as a normal game and enjoy the moment of playing different teams.”
Skinner:
“When I look at them, they have an incredible attack. They have flair, they have aggression, they are very evasive. They have got Vilde Boe Risa, who used to play for Manchester United and is a wonderful footballer. They defend very well as well, so they have quite a good balance. I think we have to defend well tomorrow night because of the threats they have. Also, with the ball, I think they have to be aware of us. We’ve spoken about it, we have to be focused and defensively alert because Atleti can spring counter-attacks quickly and have the ability to beat you one v one. Also, in front of their fans, I think it will be a good atmosphere. We see a lot threats, but also hopefully we can give them our threats too.”
Zigiotti: “I agree with Marc. They’re good on counter-attacks, so we need to be careful with that. They have quick players and technical players. Hopefully we can control the game and control the ball, and get them where we want them.”