PSV Women will debut in the UEFA Women's Champions League on Wednesday against one of the world's very biggest clubs. FC Barcelona is the opponent in the biggest match the women's team has played so far in its existence. 'The group is bouncing with energy'.
Enthusiasm
Days before the match, which starts Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. and can be seen via a live stream on the NOS site (a summary will follow later on PSV.nl and elsewhere), interim coach Rick de Rooij and captain Mandy van den Berg looked ahead to the encounter with the Catalan top club. "The first reaction after the draw was clear. Everyone was enthusiastic. It is very cool and beautiful that we can make our debut against Barcelona," Van den Berg told PSV Campus De Herdgang.
Realism
With those words, De Rooij concurred. The coach made his debut Sunday against Ajax with a 2-2 draw. In the end, his team lost to the Amsterdam women after penalty kicks. "I am very realistic. We are going for a result against one of the best club teams in the world. What the players showed last week at training and during the first match is promising. We are really going to play for something," De Rooij said.
Opportunity
"Chances are always there," Van den Berg agreed. "It is clear that we are facing an absolute top team that is in tremendously good form. But we shouldn't make ourselves too small," the defender believes. "We can hurt any opponent. For us it is clear where the opportunities against FC Barcelona lie. We have trained on that and we are going into the match with a lot of sense and confidence."
It lives
And that competition is alive and well, Van den Berg notes. "You sense from everyone that this is a new situation for the club. Within all facets of the club this match is alive and well. That is great and we are looking forward to it with great enthusiasm. The eagerness radiates from the group. That can work to our advantage. We are aware that we have to be at our very best to get a result. Fortunately, there is clarity. We know what we want to do and how we want to do it. Whether that turns into a result remains to be seen, of course, but the energy to make something of it is there."
