Last year’s defeat against Lyon remains in the memory of all Blaugrana fans. Amandine Henry’s great goal six minutes into the game preceded the tragedy that would end up taking place at the Juventus Stadium in Turin (1-3). A bump that the players have not forgotten either: “Last year was a tough final, we came out very touched,” recognized Claudia Pina. Lyon was in charge of bringing the Blaugrana down to earth and a year later they claim to have learned their lesson: “Last year everyone thought we were winners and we knew from within that we had a very difficult match, Olympique de Lyon has been the king of Europe in recent yearsâ€, explained Aitana BonmatÃ. During the Media Day organized by the club, the midfielder warned: “We don’t have to take the game for granted. Both Lyon, last year, and Wolfsburg this year, are great teams, we are not going to play a party. We face the game with the utmost confidence, but without being confidentâ€.
Mariona Caldentey highlighted the evolution of the team on a mental level: “The team arrives at a more mature point. I think conceding the goal so quickly in Turin took us out of the game, now we are a team that knows how to better manage these situations, that doesn’t get stressed if they don’t have the ball, capable of coming back from behind… a better mentally prepared team”. Marta Torrejón, one of the team’s oldest veterans, agreed with her: “The memory is there, we have had three finals: two defeats and one victory, but mentally we are very well. The season has been very good. The work is practically done, there are only small details left to finish preparing for the game, but the team is highly motivatedâ€.
If there’s one thing that stands out about Wolfsburg in the Blaugrana squad, it’s their competitive gene: “They’re always thereâ€. The Catalan full-back acknowledged that the Germans have more experience in finals, but she was optimistic: “They have been at the top of Europe for a long time and this experience can work in their favor, but I think we have already shown that we can compete against these teams. We have already beaten them before and we are going to go after themâ€. Who knows the German teams very well is Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic. The Swedish footballer won a Champions League in the ranks of Frankfurt: “German teams always believe until the end. Many times they mark you at the last minute and you don’t know how they got to the final. They are teams that are very difficult to play against, â€she warned.
For others, this will be the first Champions League for which they fight. This is the case of Keira Walsh: “I’m excited. That’s why I came to Barcelona, ​​to play games like these, “confessed the Englishwoman, who admitted that one of the things that surprised her the most when she arrived at the Catalan club was” the desire to win “of this team. “I have never experienced this so intensely at any other club,†she opened up. Champion of Europe with England last summer, Walsh hopes that the experience playing important games will help her face the final but, above all, she wants to enjoy it: “We train and live every day to play these games, we have to enjoy them.”
