FCBARCELONA.CAT

14.09.2007 14:44

“We’re ready, physically and mentally”

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Sunday’s game against Osasuna is the start of a busy match schedule for Barça in the Spanish league and the Champions League. However, Valdés insisted on Friday that the players are more than up to the challenge.

After the international break, Barça is faced by a run of matches that will mean playing twice a week. Valdés believes the players are in perfect shape for the task ahead: “This week hasn’t been exactly ideal for working together but we’re ready, physically and mentally, to face up to these matches”. The first test comes this Sunday against Osasuna: “It’s important to speak about Osasuna with the respect all teams should have. They’ve strengthened the team well and they’ll make things difficult for us”.

Competitive rhythm

Although the players haven’t been able to train much together, the fact is they’ve all been able to maintain match fitness, either in the Catalonia Cup or in their international matches: “I believe the team is ready mentally and the international matches help you not to lose your competitive rhythm, and so I don’t believe they’ll have any effect. The people that have returned are recovering well and on Saturday we can all train together”.

With experience

All Barça teams, and in particular the current squad, have plenty of experience of this kind of international interruption. For this reason, Valdés believes it shouldn’t affect the team: “It’s not the first time this has happened and the international players make long journeys. They know the recovery work they have to do when they return and this Saturday we’ll all be able to work together”.