Unai Emery issues verdict on Hajduk Split as two youngsters called up from Villarreal B

Unai Emery has provided his thoughts ahead of Villarreal’s clash with Hajduk Split on Thursday night.

The Yellow Submarine are head to Croatia for the second leg of their Europa Conference League playoff.

Villarreal won 4-2 in the first leg, taking a healthy two-goal lead to Croatia, but they will step into a tough atmosphere as they look to wrap up qualification.

Hajduk fans create a hostile atmosphere for opposing teams, though Villarreal are accustom to such settings given their European experience.

“This time it will be them who have the support of their people and that’s why we must also be able to manage the game emotionally,” Emery said.

Villarreal CF

Speaking about Hajduk more generally, Emery added: “Hajduk Split are a team with history and a present and are competing in an important league.

“They are an opponent that has a footballing idea of combination and structure that demands a lot from you.

“They also have a lot of talent in their ranks, something we saw before we played them and which they showed at the Ciutat de València, where we made certain mistakes that we don’t want to see happen in Croatia,”

Interestingly, it has been confirmed that Villarreal B players Dani Tasende and Fer Nino have made the trip to Croatia, potentially featuring in the fixture.

Nino was a semi-regular in the season before last, ahead of spending the last campaign with Mallorca.

Villarreal could do with more help up front, currently relying on Gerard Moreno and Nicolas Jackson.

This could be an audition of sorts for Nino, should he feature, with just a week remaining in the transfer window.