Spain s return to the scene of their Euro 2012 final victory in Ukraine is a fantastic feeling, Juan Mata has said.
Mata scored the final goal in an emphatic 4-0 win over Italy in Kiev three years ago as Spain defended the European title they won in 2008.
With Vicente del Bosque s side set to conclude their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign at Kiev s Olympic Stadium on Monday, the Manchester United forward is excited to set foot on the famous pitch once again.
I have good memories of this stadium. The final in Euro 2012 was beautiful. It s fantastic to return, he said.
The memories have been coming back ever since we reached the hotel. It was an unforgettable day. I was proud to have taken part that day.
Spain have already sealed their place in the finals in France next year but Mata is determined to sign off qualifying with a strong showing.
We know we ve qualified but we want to put in a good performance. I m sure it ll be a difficult game, he said.
This team has something if we play at a high level. We re ready to give our best.
We ve seen a lot of Ukraine s games. They re a very complete team and it ll be difficult to win tomorrow.
Defender Mikel San Jose is expecting a tough test against Ukraine s attack especially with Mykhaylo Fomenko s side needing to better Slovakia s result against Luxembourg if they are to claim the second automatic qualifying spot.
Ukraine are a great team with few weaknesses, said the Athletic Bilbao man. They re very strong in attack. It ll be a good game.
