Montse Tomé: "We were scared with Aitana, but she's recovered well, she's really eager, and we have to slow her down."

Spain 's debut at the European Championship in Switzerland could be marked by absences. Captain Irene Paredes will be absent, suspended for a straight red card she received in the final qualifying match a year ago, and Aitana Bonmatí may also be absent. This is what coach Montse Tomé conveyed without words.

"Aitana is progressing well. Yesterday she had a separate training session with a rehabilitation specialist, and today she'll do some training with the team. We were a little worried, but she's recovered well. She's very eager, and we need to slow her down," explained the coach. Regarding goalkeeper Cata Coll , who has been suffering from tonsillitis for the past few days, it seems that the doubts have been dispelled.

No one in the dressing room is taking their focus off Portugal , and they're shaking off their status as favorites. "In the dressing room, we don't talk about the labels they put on us. Spain is demanding and excited about this competition, but if we look back, England is the champion, Germany has won eight titles, Norway two, and Sweden and the Netherlands one," recalled Tomé, who remains calm and reveals his message to the dressing room: "I'm not a very nervous person and I really enjoy the profession. We've focused on enjoying the job. We have incredibly talented players and many options. We told them in the talk that they have to enjoy the now."

That now includes Portugal. " Starting strong and well is super important . Spain has to take care of their transitions. We faced them recently, and now they have a few more players with counterattacking ability, like Jéssica Silva. We have to control them very well, find our footing with the ball, and flow. There will be moments of suffering, and we have to endure and be competitive in good and bad moments. I feel we're ready," she analyzed.

Irene Paredes' absence will be covered by Laia Aleixandri or María Méndez , but Tomé will also have to manage the good form of Mariona and Claudia Pina , who play in similar areas. "It's made easier thanks to their willingness to help the team. They can play on the left, the right, and inside, but their high adaptability is what allows us to take advantage of them," explained the coach.

Patri: "It's a joy to be here."

The one who will surely be carrying the load in midfield is Patri Guijarro , who is now celebrating a year since her return to the national team. Now she's at her peak. "It's a joy to be sitting here, I was looking forward to coming back. The Olympics were a reunion, but this European Championship is special," she emphasized. She also shuns favoritism. "There are very strong teams and you can't put labels on them. We take it game by game. The goal is to win tomorrow and, in the short term, finish first. But we are ambitious and want to win everything," the Barça midfielder stated.

She missed the World Cup and praised the changes they've made. "Our goal was to be able to think about and for football. Now we have a chef, training camps that are a luxury ... At the World Cup, they had one that... well, but they were able to change it. Now there are things we no longer have to ask for, like travel. We're in very good shape," she admitted.

Aitana was the one who got scared. "It's been days of worry, but luckily, yesterday we saw the light. We've been very close to them, asking questions, and we've taken precautions, like for Covid ," she revealed.

Now it's all about football. "The two recent matches against Portugal have helped us. Especially the first one. They're very aggressive and have a very good counterattack . They've got Kika Nazareth, Jéssica Silva, and Gomes back... It's going to be a pretty intense match," he warned.