Pedro Gabriel highlights confidence and intensity before three friendlies | OneFootball

Pedro Gabriel, left-back for the Brazil U-20 National TeamCredits: Nelson Terme/CBF

The Brazil U-20 National Team is wrapping up a week of intense work in Spain before starting a run of three friendlies. For left-back Pedro Gabriel, the preparation has been marked by the confidence conveyed by the coaching staff and by a demanding routine, with training sessions twice a day.

The player says head coach Paulo Victor has managed to involve the entire squad in the process, keeping the athletes ready for the different moments of the run of matches.

“Paulo Victor is giving a lot of confidence to the whole group, those who are going to start and those who are not. This week has been very important for us; it has been a week of great intensity,” he said.

The schedule included days with activities in the morning and in the afternoon. For Pedro Gabriel, beyond the physical and tactical preparation, the more intense routine also played an important role in bringing the players closer together and building the group.

“We had days when we trained twice, which I think is important to bring us together and for us to have a lot of intensity in the game,” he explained.

Brazil will face Denmark, the United States, and Mexico. In the left-back’s assessment, all three opponents have characteristics that can add to the preparation process, especially because of the physical strength that usually shows up in European football.

“We’ve been talking a lot about how they are three very strong national teams. We know that European teams are very physical, they are teams that thrive on physical battles, and we’ve been working throughout the week so we can come away with wins in these three friendlies,” he said.

The run will also be important for the group to gain experience in different scenarios and arrive better prepared for the South American U-20 Championship. Pedro Gabriel believes the matches will be valuable both for the team’s performances on the pitch and for its collective growth.

“These three friendlies will be very important for us, for us as a group to be well prepared for the South American Championship,” he added.

For the full-back, the opportunity to wear the national team jersey also carries special meaning. It is the fulfillment of a wish that began in childhood and that is now gaining new chapters with the U-20 team.

“It’s a unique moment. It’s a childhood dream to wear the national team jersey, which is the heaviest jersey in the world. It’s a unique dream, a childhood dream; I think it’s every Brazilian’s dream to represent the national team jersey, which carries so much weight,” he said.

The run of friendlies begins on Monday (28) against Denmark at 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. Brasília time). After that, Brazil will face the United States on October 1, also at 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. Brasília time). The final match will be against Mexico on October 4 at 11 a.m. in Spain (6 a.m. Brasília time). All three matches will be played at Pinatar Arena in San Pedro del Pinatar.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.