Rayo Vallecano vs Villarreal preview - Trigueros: We'll cope without Bruno

Posted Saturday, February 14, 2015 by PA

Villarreal midfielder Manuel Trigueros believes his team's spirit could be strengthened by the loss of their injured captain Bruno Soriano.

Bruno fractured his fibula during the 3-1 Copa del Rey semi-final first leg defeat to Barcelona on Wednesday, an injury which rules him out for between two to three months.

However, Trigueros is confident the team, who are sixth in the Primera Division table and still in the Europa League and Copa del Rey, can cope without the 30-year-old.

"This should strengthen us as a group," he told a press conference.

"We know that Bruno is a very important player to us but we're going to try and make sure that we miss him as little as possible.

"He is a fundamental player for us, but we are ready to keep going without him. The other three midfielders will try and get the team playing so we do not notice his absence.

"Bruno was very influential on the team but we have got Mateo Musacchio back, who is very important to the defence and is also very influential."

Villarreal's first appointment without their pivotal captain is a trip to Rayo Vallecano, who have lost three league matches in a row.

And Trigueros is confident his team can get a good result given Villarreal's current form and their recent record at Vallecas, where they won 5-2 last season.

"We are well prepared for the game because we are on an excellent run in the league," he added.

"It will be a difficult game because Rayo need to win but we are going to try and repeat what we did last year."

Bruno is not Villarreal's only absentee going into the weekend though, with Jonathan dos Santos out after straining a muscle, and Mario Gaspar and Ikechukwu Uche are both doubts due to injury.

Rayo have no fresh injury concerns, although midfielder Raul Baena is suspended after getting sent off in the 2-0 defeat at Elche on Monday.

Despite their slide in form, forward Leo Baptistao insists spirits are high among the Rayo players.

"The team is in good shape and the mood in the dressing is phenomenal," he told a press conference.

"We are united we are a group and we are committed. It's true that we have played two bad matches and we aren't the same Rayo as at the start of the season. We want to get back to being the old Rayo."