It will be the meeting of two big names in world futsal when Brazilian side Carlos Barbosa and Spanish team Barca Lassa come together for the first semi-final of the World Intercontinental Futsal Cup Thailand 2018.
Having guided Carlos Barbosa to the pole position in Group A, coach Marquinhos Xavier said his team was ready for an exciting semi-final against Barca Lassa.
“We have been preparing for a long time. Now is the time to transform that preparation into good performances on the pitch, to learn quickly, adapt every day to new situations and new opponents. We knew it was going to very difficult and my players are emotionally and technically prepared,” Marquinhos said.
Barca Lassa will go into the semi-final at the back of a disappointing 1-0 loss against Magnus Futsal. On the night, they came close to scoring many times but eventually, it was Magnus’ Eder Lima who scored a stunning goal late in the tie and ensured the Brazilian team finished on top of the group.
Speaking ahead of the semi-final Barca coach Andreu Plaza remarked, “It is our goal to win every match. But it must be kept in mind that we are preparing for the new season as we’re still in our pre-season. We know that on Saturday, we will be playing one of the most complete futsal teams in the world. They have an excellent team, tactically, and they don’t have many weaknesses. But we will play our style of futsal, the same way we have so far in the competition”.
