Gary Waddock is expecting a tough test later this evening when the Dons take on La Liga side Rayo Vallecano.
The men from MK1, unbeaten in pre-season so far, will walk out onto the hallowed turf at stadiummk for the first time since the end of April tonight to face the Vallecanos, who finished eighth in the top tier of Spanish football last campaign.
And Waddock, who will make his first appearance in front of the home faithful in a few hours time, is looking forward to what is set to be an enthralling game of football.
Speaking to mkdons.com, the Dons’ new Head of Coaching said: “Rayo are going to be a very good side, filled with some top quality players so it’s going to be a big test for us. Although we’re focused on just topping up our fitness levels and the organisation side of things, it’ll still be a game which tests us to the full.
“The team have had a couple of days rest so we’re hoping they’ll come back a little bit fresher. Tonight’s not about them peaking, though, it’s about getting the timing right so we’re peaking on August 3rd because that’s when it starts and that’s when the results matter as such. That said, this is a big game for the Football Club and we’ll obviously want to give a good account of ourselves.
“Everybody’s looking forward to it and for me, personally, it’s my first game here, so obviously I’m looking forward to it as well. The pitch is in very good condition and the players have put in some good performances over the pre-season campaign so it will be nice to do that again tonight against a very strong outfit.”
While the Waddock and Robinson will be looking to come away from tonight’s game with a sixth pre-season victory, they’ll also hoping to use the match as a chance to study their opponents, who finished eighth in one of the best Leagues in the world.
“Obviously we’ll have a look at their set-up and how they go about things, the way they play.” Waddock added. “We’re coming up against a side which move the ball around really well, similar to ourselves. It’ll be interesting to see how we cope with it and considering they’re used to our style of play, being in the League that they’re in.
“We’ll have a look at them and I’m sure we’ll be able to come away, at the end of it, with a couple of different ideas as well.”
