Lleida's AEM begins its participation in the Copa de la Reina by hosting Europa in a single-leg tie. Following a promising league debut with a 0-2 away victory against Levante B, the team approaches the match with great optimism. The game will take place at the Municipal del Recasens.
The opponent, Gràcia's Europa, also considers the match special and arrives with the enthusiasm to start their journey in the competition well. AEM's coach, Samu Luna, has emphasized the importance of managing player workloads and counts on the support of the reserve team to handle the commitments. The objective is to compete at the highest level in a tournament that offers the chance to face top-tier teams in later rounds.
Europa's coach, Nany, acknowledges the competitiveness of Luna's teams and anticipates a very strong AEM at home, with a different profile than last season. She recalls the tough Copa Catalunya final lost against AEM, which marked the end of an intense season, and expresses a desire for redemption. "We wanted to be ready this first week of September to compete in three matches in six days, and we worked on that in preseason. We don't want to be eliminated in the first round," she stated.
Europa also comes into the tie having won their first league match against Samper 2-0, although they have some absences for this encounter. The match is scheduled for 7:00 PM at the Recasens stadium in Lleida.
