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Women’s National Team

Montse Tomé: "We expect a competitive, intense match. We want the Balaídos stadium to have a party atmosphere"

The Spain coach addressed the media from the press room at the Balaídos stadium after announcing her squad selected for the two upcoming matches against Portugal.
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Fri, 28/03/2025 - 14:06

In this coming international window, the national team faces a double-header against Portugal, who currently lead Group A3. Spain, the reigning UEFA Women's Nations League champions, are aiming to secure qualification after a victory over Belgium in the first match (3-2) and a narrow defeat to England at Wembley in the second (1-0).

Montse Tomé's team, third in the group, head into these two matches with plenty of enthusiasm and energy, much like the emotion conveyed by the Galician women from the fishing industry who helped the coach announce the squad: "We’ve received so much love since we’ve been here. I´m very happy. I want to thank the four Galician women who helped us make the squad announcement video. It was very special to spend time with them, and the video turned out great."

Regarding the key names in this squad, Montse Tomé highlighted some new players, such as Eunate Astralaga and the return of Esther González. On the latter, she commented on her presence in and around the box: "She hasn’t been called up since the Belgium and Czech Republic matches. She’s a player we know very well. Last year, she had a great season. Her abilities in the danger area and to drop into pockets of space are exceptional. She’s a player who can read the game well and link up play."

She also praised the figure of Eunate, the Eibar goalkeeper: "Eunate has been with us since she was 16. I’ve had the opportunity to work with her since then, alongside Kenio who started working with her. The performances she’s delivered have been excellent. She had a great U-19 European Championships and is a 2022 U-17 World Cup winner. She has a natural talent, and she’s done outstanding work with Eibar. We wanted her to be part of our senior setup."

The squad has been assembled with the Portugal matches in mind: "It’s a well-thought-out squad. We’ve spent a month going over a lot of matches, reviewing plenty of footage, all aimed at the important fixtures ahead." Indeed, the Portuguese team will require Spain to be at their best: "These are two very important games for us. We started the Nations League with the aim of finishing top of the group and to progress to the next stage. Portugal are very competitive team. They’ve had the same coach for many years but have continually reinvented themselves. Recently, in the Nations League, they drew with England and beat Belgium. We know this team very well, although I personally have never faced them. Their squad is a mix of players from different leagues, with five playing in our league, so we’re familiar with them. We know the Portuguese league well, and we have Martín-Prieto, and we’ve worked a lot on studying their league."

She spoke about the importance of the upcoming matches: "We expect competitive, intense matches that will demand that we are at our best. We’ve put in a lot of effort to prepare for them." To achieve this, the coaching team have formed a squad of 23 internationals that blends both youth and experience: "We have a group of players that combine talent with youth, with experienced, ambitious players like Alexia and Patri, who weren’t available for us last time out. We’re very happy with the group we have."

This is the squad for the double-header against Portugal, announced by the Galician women from the fishing industry.

One thing that excites Montse and the whole team is the chance to show the fruit of their effort, work, and competitive spirit in front of a massive crowd in Vigo: "I hope for the maximum response from my players, the best, the most beautiful football. I know the federation is working on it, and I would love for Balaídos to be full, for us to have a packed out stadium on April 8th at 7 p.m. and make it a celebration of football. This is our first time playing at the Balaídos stadium, but it’s not our first time in Galicia. It speaks volumes about Louzán’s affection for Vigo and his desire to bring the world champions here. That crowd will be our 12th player as they cheer us on, which is something the players need. I hope many children come, and their parents bring them to enjoy this sport, and with our work, we can give them a lot of enjoyment back."

Montse also took a moment to remember a Galician, Tere Abelleira, who won’t be participating due to a long-term injury, by sending her all her best wishes: "I want to mention Tere. The negative aspect about her absence is that she’s an incredible player. She’s an important player for us, and we’ll support her in everything she needs."

She concluded her interview expressing clear thoughts on what lies ahead: "Every match is new and unique. We have to keep working with humility, to the best of our ability and, with a very competitive mindset, and go for it."

 


Watch Montse Tomé's press conference after announcing the squad for the double clash against the Portuguese team again.

 

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