Valverde: Uefa Cup Is Still Possible

Espanyol have the second worst record of any team in the second half of the league campaign, a run of results that has seen them fall from the top four to their current position of ninth, five points behind current sixth place occupants Sevilla.

Despite their poor form and the fact that they have failed to find the back of the net in each of their last five games, Valverde still feels that they have an outside chance of reaching next season's Uefa Cup.

"It is very clear: we have to win if we want to have any chance of playing in the Uefa Cup because I still think that doing so is feasible. We obtained an important point last weekend, but we must build on that and show the necessary desire to take a vital victory," he told reporters at a press conference on Saturday.

"To win you must score and lately we are not scoring. We must continue working on our defensive stability, but we must also attack and cause danger to our opponents."

Decisive Games

Valverde indicated that every game between now and the end of the season will be decisive for his team, but recognised that his statement probably holds an even greater truth for relegation strugglers Zaragoza, his side's opponents on Sunday.

"They find themselves in a situation that they had not hoped for or thought to be possible, although sometimes it harms you to assume," he affirmed.

"They went through a difficult spell, although they come into this game in high spirits after winning a crucial match and playing well. The game will be a tense affair because Zaragoza are a team designed to dominate games, but they can also play the counter-attack well."

Harmful Influence

A number of Espanyol's players have been linked with moves away from the club come the summer transfer window and Valverde believes that such talk can have a destablising effect on the squad.

"It does worry me to see Kameni and Zabaleta constantly linked with so many teams. It has dragged on for a long time. It is certainly not helpful for us to see that our rivals have such detailed information on our players," he concluded.


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