GALLARDO ON THE CUP: 'IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO NOT HAVE TO TRAVEL FAR'"

Paco Gallardo was Sevilla FC's representative at the draw for the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey, which took place this Friday in the Football City in Las Rozas. The assistant to the Director of Football spoke to SFC Radio to comment on their matchup with CF Villanovense: 'It's important to not have to travel very far considering the amount of travelling we've already done. The fact that our opponents are close by is very positive.'

In terms of the opponents themselves, Gallardo asserts that 'they're the best opponents from Segunda B that we could have gotten because we know a lot about them and the manager can definitely take advantage of that.' He also considers the match as a good time to rotate the squad: 'There are players who are currently not playing and could come into the team for this game because they are all capable of playing matches at a high level.'

Finally, he reflected on the team's performance in this competition in recent years: 'It's a competition that Sevilla have done well in, being amongst the favourites in recent years and this year won't be any different. You have to start with this kind of team and hopefully, we can get through the knockout round.