Sonia Bermúdez and Irene Paredes Preview Iceland v Spain

Just hours before facing Iceland in the sixth and final Group A3 fixture, with a place at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil at stake, head coach Sonia Bermúdez and captain Irene Paredes shared their thoughts on the match, the opposition and the mood within the squad in an interview with the RFEF’s official media channels.

Iceland v Spain

Sonia Bermúdez:
"We would all have signed up for being in this position heading into the final match, with the opportunity to take three points and secure direct qualification. We are fully focused on tomorrow’s game. Iceland are a very difficult and demanding opponent, and we are looking forward to the challenge as we aim to achieve our objective."

Irene Paredes:
"It is the match we want to win in order to qualify. The game at Son Moix the other day was important because we had to come from behind, and we managed to do so with both a strong performance and a positive result. We arrive here with good feelings, but tomorrow is the key match and we want to win it."

The Team’s Confidence Following Victory over England

Sonia Bermúdez:
"Of course it gives us confidence. Whenever you win, especially in the manner that we did, it has a positive impact. However, these are three different points at stake. We are in a different context, in a different country and playing away against Iceland. The team’s full focus is now on tomorrow’s match."

The Opposition: Iceland

Sonia Bermúdez:
"The fact that they are facing Spain will provide extra motivation for them. They are a very strong side in the air, in one-on-one duels and from set pieces. They transition quickly and have a great deal of pace in attack. We will try to impose ourselves from the outset and, if possible, score early. Every team wants to beat Spain, and we expect Iceland to start strongly. The players are fully aware of what is at stake."

Irene Paredes:
"The team is in a very good place. We depend on ourselves and we want to win. There is no greater incentive than securing qualification for a World Cup. Iceland are playing at home and they will be determined to beat us. In the previous meeting they created some clear chances, which we dealt with well, but this will be a difficult match and we will need to perform at our highest level if we want to give ourselves the best chance of winning."