FCBARCELONA.CAT

18.11.2009 13:24

Valdés: "It’s vital to win in San Mamés"

David Puig

Víctor Valdés told reporters on Wednesday that it is important to get a good result in San Mamés ahead of the visits from Inter Milan and Real Madrid. He also highlighted the return to action of Milito in the training match against Bolivar.

Next week could be one of the most important of the season with matches against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga. Víctor Valdés told us that the team had only one thought – a win in San Mamés next Saturday: “It’s vital to win in San Mamés and gain more confidence. The team always gets stronger after a victory. Also it’s always important to retain the lead, not only against Real Madrid but against any team”.

Valdés does not believe the Bilbao players will be looking for revenge after the defeats suffered in the Spanish Cup and the Super Cup: “I don’t believe they want revenge. They’ll want the three points, which are very important for them, and they’ll want to beat an inform Barça. San Mamés is a difficult ground where they’ve always made things complicated for us. They play direct football with Llorente as the target man in attack. I think it’ll be a hard-fought match and a good spectacle”.

Happy for Milito

Valdés was delighted to see Gaby Milito back on the pitch in the training match against Bolivar CF: “I’m really happy for him as a team-mate. Today he felt like a footballer against even though it was a friendly. I thought he was really motivated. He knows we’ve been right behind him over the months and I wish him all the best”.

Valdés also stressed that it was important for the team to recover the Argentine central defender: “He brings us a lot both on the pitch and in the dressing room, especially for his winning mentality”.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Eto'o

Inevitably, the matches against Inter Milan and Real Madrid were also mentioned in the press conference. And two names took centre stage - Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto'o. Valdés revealed that he would be very happy to see Ronaldo fit in time to play against Barça. Personally, I always like to play against the great players and Cristiano Ronaldo is one of those footballers who should always play the big games. He brings a lot to Real Madrid and he’ll be really keen to play and help his team”.

As for the return of Samuel Eto'o to the Camp Nou next week, Valdés is hoping he’ll be received by the fans as he deserves: “I’m sure the fans will know how to value Samuel’s work in a Barça shirt, a shirt he loves and will keep on loving”.