Real Madrid

"Finally the summer is over and we are about to start what we like, the competition. There are no nerves, it is a football match, nothing more, and we’re eager to get the three points". Castilla start their journey in the Second Division tomorrow (21:00) against Villarreal and Juanfran, the subsidiary’s right winger, could not hide his hunger to compete in the Spanish second tier. The Madrigal will stage the first match of the return to the Second Division. It will be a tough match against a team that want to return to the First Division, but the subsidiary is ready to take all three points. "They are a team that play good football and like to have the ball and we're going to have to work hard and run after the ball, something we do not like. But if we work together and do what we have to do, then we can win" said Juanfran.

It is an "exciting" season for Castilla, who start against three strong opponents; Villarreal, Barcelona B and Almería, who will provide tough tests for the Whites’ subsidiary in the opening weeks. The academy player believes that this is something positive. "It's best to start against the best. Also, it will come in very handy for us to play against these teams that want to play football and we’ll be able to show what we’ve got to offer." Even though it will be a tough start, the most important thing will be consistency throughout the 42 league fixtures. Juanfran thinks that Castilla are more than ready: "It's a long league season and we have a big squad, with some young players that we have signed. I think we’re that we’re the well suited to this league. We are a young team and such a long season suits us".

In addition, Castilla have had a great pre-season. They’ve played against opponents from the same division (Guadalajara, Alcorcón and Recreativo) and are undefeated, so they are very motivated to take on the next phase. "The pre-season has been good, with its ups and downs, but it has helped us to learn from mistakes and has been very positive. At no point in time have spoken about avoiding relegation as an objective. You have to be looking to finish as high as possible and we’re aiming for at least mid-table", concluded Juanfran..