Villarreal stars to show their skills in Athlone friendly

Renowned soccer stars such as Brazilian Nilmar, Italy's Guiseppe Rossi and European Championship winner Marcos Senna will all grace Athlone Town's Lissywoollen stadium on Saturday evening, as Spanish giants Villarreal CF provide the highly-attractive opposition for a mid-season friendly for Brendan Place's Athlone Town (kick-off: 7pm). Following friendlies against Middlesbrough and Port Vale earlier this week, the highlight of a hectic week for Athlone Town is the hugely anticipated visit of the Spanish high-fliers this weekend, when the technical brilliance and free-flowing passing style of Spanish football can be seen first-hand in the Midlands. Athlone Town FC are expecting thousands of football supporters to attend, with match tickets currently available from various outlets across the Midlands, including Croughan's Centre, Kilmartin N6, Keenan Sports, The Palace Bar, Music World and Midland Sound Equipment in Athlone. Tickets are also available from sources in Moate, Mullingar, Ballinasloe, Roscommon and Tullamore, with soccer supporters from far and wide expected to take this unique opportunity to watch some genuine La Liga quality. Furthermore, match tickets can be purchased online at www.platinumonegroup.com and www.athlonetownfc.com. Villarreal have already signalled their intent to bring their strongest squad of players to Athlone, as they begin their pre-season build-up to the upcoming La Liga season. Although Spanish World Cup winner Joan Capdevilla will not be included in the travelling party, as he gets a well-earned belated Summer holiday, Villarreal's squad boasts some star-studded names. Captain Marcos Senna was generally regarded as the heartbeat behind Spain's 2008 European Championship victory, manning matters with calm and poise from midfield, thereby allowing the more flair players like Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Fernando Torres to do the damage further up the field. Brazilian-born Senna - now 34 - was ever-present for Spain during the 2008 success, but an injury-hit season last year foiled his attempts to make Vicente del Bosque's World Cup panel this Summer. Senna, who gained Spanish nationality in 2006, has played over 200 times for Villarreal and helped the club reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2006. Former Manchester Utd forward Guiseppe Rossi will also attract much interest at Lissywoollen, with the Italian frontman having made a huge impact at El Madrigal since moving there in 2007. Sir Alex Ferguson consistently spoke in glowing terms about Rossi's ability, but the American-born striker found first-team opportunities hard come by at Old Trafford, before a successful loan spell at Parma in Italy in early 2007 caught the eye of Villarreal, who then signed him from Man Utd for a reported fee of €10 million. Such is the esteem in which Rossi is still held by Alex Ferguson, that United insisted on putting a clause in Rossi's Villarreal contract, whereby the Old Trafford giants retain first-option to buy him back should the striker look like moving on. Rossi (23) has gone on to win 14 senior international caps with Italy (netting three times), and was named in Marcelo Lippi's provisional World Cup squad, before being excluded when it was cut to 23. Brazilian international forward Nilmar (26) is another who could catch the eye on Saturday, having featured several times as a substitute in his country's recent failed World Cup bid. With 21 caps and eight goals to his name at international level, and after a previously unsuccessful spell in Europe with French club Lyon, he moved to Villarreal in 2009, scoring eleven times in 33 appearances last season. Rugged defender Diego Godin's World Cup performances with Uruguay also brought him to world prominence, with the tough-tackling stopper having helped Uruguay to the semi-finals of the tournament in South Africa. Godin (24) moved to Villarreal in 2007, where he has become a mainstay in their defence, playing almost 100 times for the Yellow Submarines since. Another exciting player for Villarreal is Santi Cazorla, who was part of Spain's European Championship winning squad in 2008. A right winger, 25 year-old Cazorla spurned interest from Real Madrid to stay at Villarreal in 2008. Goalkeeper Diego Lopez is also regarded as one of the finest netminders in Spain, but has found breaking through to the national side almost impossible given Spain's plethora of excellent goalkeepers. With a single senior cap to his name, Lopez has become an integral part of the Villarreal defence since signing in 2007 for €6 million from Real Madrid, where he provided mere back-up to Iker Casillas.