In the upcoming one-eighth final of the UEFA Europa League on July 3, Beijing time, the Romanian team will usher in a fierce duel with the Netherlands. Before the match, Romanian player Marin attended the conference, expressing his expectations for the match and the team's preparation.
Marin began by revealing his state of mind, "I'm more excited than nervous right now. I'm really hoping that after 90 minutes of play or possibly extra time, we'll manage to make it to the quarter-finals. Our whole team is full of confidence, training has gone very well this week and we have been given enough rest to regain our strength, so I can say that we are well prepared for this game."
Talking about the rival Dutch team, Marin showed a sober cognizance: "The Dutch are a strong team with many excellent players. We are well aware of their strength, and we also know that they may have encountered some challenges in the start of this European Cup. But no matter what, we must focus on doing our own thing, not be disturbed by external factors, and go all out to meet the game."
Talking about how to cope with the pressure of the game, Marin appeared very calm: "We have been preparing very well throughout the week, and have made comprehensive adjustments from tactics to psychology. We had six days to recover from the last group game, during which time we made targeted training and adjustments. I'm confident that whoever takes the field tomorrow will give it their all to fight and make sure we progress to the next round."
Finally, Marin also spoke about the rising expectations for the Romanian team: "Ever since we qualified for this tournament, the expectations have been high. Now that we're in the knockout stage, those expectations are at an even higher peak. But we can handle the pressure, we are ready for the challenge and we are confident that we can do something big to reward our fans for their support."
