by Andorra will be welcoming Malta for the final UEFA Women’s Nations League match at the Estadi Encamp at 19:00. Albert Panadero & Manuela Tesse are expecting their teams to show up with a competitive mentality in search of finishing the tournament with more objectives reached. Carla Ber & Tere Morato discussed the achievements in the tournament for Andorra, with sights set on a positive end to the tournament.
Seeking A Positive End To Tournament
Andorra will be welcoming Malta at the new Estadi Encamp this evening at 19:00 CET for the final match of the UEFA Women’s Nations League. The Andorran women’s team debuted in the stadium on Friday, in a 2 – 1 defeat to Georgia.
Fifteen year-old Carla Ber repaid the faith with not just a good performance, but also a goal in the new stadium. Questioned about the experience gained by playing with the senior team throughout the tournament Carla Ber replied, “I’m 15 years old and it’s incredible to be with the Senior Squad. I am enjoying this Nations League, but this is the result of a lot of work.”
The youngster is fully focused on continuing to repay the faith of the coaches in this final match, “I am very grateful to the coaching staff for trusting me and I will use this confidence to focus on doing my best against a team of League B. It’s a good chance to demonstrate and to assess our level, to see where we are.”
Andorra’s coach, Albert Panadero, is looking for his team to bounce back and push to recapture a return to points against Malta. Questioned about the prospect of a victory, he replied, “We have to promote a competitive mentality to our players. If we have thirty percent chances to win, we have to optimise them. Malta is a League B project, but for us is a new chance.”
Albert Panadero is also not expecting a nonchalant Malta, despite the Maltese side having already confirmed their place at the top of the group, “Malta is not coming to Andorra for a walk. They reached the goal of promotion to League B, but they will come to Andorra to compete and win. It will be a hard match for us, but must not forget our improvement. We are ready for everything.”
His counterpart Manuela Tesse is in fact looking for her team to continue pushing forward, “We want to play as if we did not win against Cyprus because we want to maintain a winning mentality.”
Probed whether she believes that the match is an opportunity to rotate the squad or to try different approaches, Manuela Tesse hinted at the former, “We will try different players, but keeping the balance in mind. We must be careful to put new players in a good situation because you must help them to adapt otherwise it can be difficult for them.”
Clean Sheets To Be Ruined & The Prospect Of Five Win Streak
Andorra will hope that they can earn a first victory in the new stadium, but to do so they will need to break Malta’s defence. It is the only one they are yet to score against in the tournament.
Captain Tere Morato has been the side’s top-scorer with four goals against Cyprus. The captain is looking for her team to bounce back, irrespective of who scores the goals, “We want to get another positive score after Georgia, where we couldn’t. Malta is the only team of the group who we didn’t score a goal against and it is not important that Tere Morató scores, it is important to win.”
Questioned about having that record of no goals conceded against Andorra as something that gives Malta’s team added motivation for this match, Manuela Tesse replied, “This is one thing, but also we have the possibility of achieving five straight wins if we win tonight. This was something we did not achieve in the first UEFA Women’s Nations League because we drew against Moldova in between. So, this is a nice target to aim for, for us.”
The match will begin at 19:00. It will be free entry for those making it to the stadium, while the match will also be broadcast on TVM Sports+ & the FAF Official Broadcast Channel.
Lead Image: Elise Bajada
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