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5 months ago
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Villarreal’s Adria Altimira will have the opportunity to play against his former club FC Barcelona when his side travels to Catalonia to take on a vulnerable Blaugrana tonight and speaking ahead of the fixture, the 22-year-old has said that the fixture will be very special for him.
It is to be noted that Altimira trained at La Masia for 12 years and he might get to play against the club that he always holds dear in his heart.
“It’s pretty special. I would have liked it to be at Camp Nou, but I am looking forward to it. I have been at that club for many years and I am looking forward to this match,” said the 22-year-old as quoted by SPORT.
Altimira joined Barcelona’s youth setup in 2008 and left the team in 2020 to join Lokomotiva Zagreb. His tenure in Croatia did not last long and three years later, he ended up at Villarreal.
“It is true that in the 12 years that I was there, many things happened, but I take away the good things. I will always carry Barça in my heart because I grew up there. No matter how many things happen later, in the end, I am grateful for everything they have given me,” he explained.
He said that in an ideal scenario, he would have wanted to leave Barcelona differently. But now, he has nothing against the team as he is very happy at Villarreal.
“I would have liked to leave in a different way or for them to have valued me differently at the time, but football doesn’t end at Barça. Many players have gone out and succeeded on other teams. I don’t have any kind of resentment, because now I’m happy to be here.”
He also explained that back when he was in the youth setup, getting an opportunity in the first team was extremely difficult but times have changed and it is now relatively easier for the young players to break into the senior squad.
“In the situation I was in, it was very difficult to get into the first team. In the current situation perhaps it is easier, but above all, I was left with the ‘thorn’ of playing the reserve team.
“When so many players make their debut in the first team, it is true that you think what would have happened if they had been there at that time,” he said.
Playing against Barcelona
Barcelona lost their Copa del Rey match in extra time against Athletic Club. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
While Barcelona are in a vulnerable position, Villarreal are not doing great themselves. As they take on the Blaugrana, they will aim for their first win in 2024.
To achieve this, they’ll need their defence to perform well. Altimira, who has played in different positions, is now seen as an option to play on the right side of the defence for the ‘yellow submarine’, possibly replacing Juan Foyth.
“We don’t catch them at their best, but we can’t relax. They have players of a level who, at any moment, can mess you up. You have to come out with your feet on the ground and be involved for every minute, that’s what we’ve been missing this season.”
Barcelona are coming on the back of a disappointing 2-4 defeat at the hands of Athletic Club in Copa del Rey. What is even more troubling is that there could be some tired legs in the playing XI given that they had to play extra time in the national competition.
“Honestly, we focus on what we do. Yes, it is true that these details favour us and can tip the balance, but they are by no means going to give us victory,” said Altimira.
Lastly, the 22-year-old also talked about a certain Lamine Yamal and Alejandra Balde. For the former, he explained how difficult it was for the team to catch him when the two teams played last time.
“He [Yamal] is a very decisive player. In our field, he had very good actions and to stop him we will have to do a lot of help.
For Balde, he said, “I haven’t been able to talk to him at all after the injury. It would have been nice to have that duel as a band, but surely there will be many more moments to face each other.”
