Villarreal goalkeeper Sebastian Viera was keeping remarkably calm on Tuesday despite the imminent arrival of the Manchester United artillery in the shape of Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Manchester United return to the Mediterranean coast for the first time since they triumphed in the 1999 Champions League final a little further north in Barcelona’s Nou Camp, and face Villarreal in a group D match on Wednesday.
”Don’t get wrong, I am not underestimating them. I am going to have to keep [my] wits about me. But both of them only have two feet and football is played with a ball, right?” joked Viera about Rooney and van Nistelrooy on Tuesday.
”They are two very good strikers but here in Europe there are lots of excellent players,” added Viera, speaking in the Spanish sports daily As.
”We will have to watch out for them, just as we will have to watch out for every Manchester United player but I don’t have any fear of them, nor anyone else in football.
”You can’t fear anyone in sport,” said the 23 year-old Uruguayan international, who has taken over the gloves at Villarreal from Juan Manuel Reina, who moved to European champions Liverpool at the end of last season.
Villarreal are making their Champions League debut this season after finishing an unprecedented third in the Spanish first division last season.
Viera moved to Villarreal in the summer from Nacional in his native Uruguay after his proposed move to English side Arsenal broke down on apparent medical grounds.
He believes that despite United’s star-studded line up, which includes Dutch international Edwin van der Sar in the other goal, that Villarreal will add United to their list of English sides who have found their El Madrigal stadium a difficult place to get a result.
Victims in recent years include Everton who lost 2-1 both home and away in the previous round of this year’s Champions League.
”We are at home and have the support of our fans. It’s for them that we are going to win. Playing at home, you are always the favourites, that’s our burden,” said Viera. – AFP
