Post by Bismarck on Jan 26, 2008 16:51:32 GMT
BARCELONA, January 26 (Primera Liga) - Espanyol will hope for a change in fortunes following a miserable fortnight when they host Real Betis in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
The Barcelona-based side saw their impressive 17-match unbeaten run brought to an end by Almeria two weeks ago and lost again at Real Valladolid last weekend.
In between those two games, Ernesto Valverde's side also crashed out of the Copa del Rey and their misery was compounded when they lost captain Raul Tamudo this week - their talismanic striker suffered a broken arm in training.
Valverde now wants his side to put their recent woes behind them.
``We need to get back on track, forget about the last two defeats and win in order to consolidate our position in the league,'' he said. ``We are fifth and if we win, we will maintain our position.''
While Tamudo is definitely ruled out of Sunday's match, playmaker Ivan De La Pena also looks set to miss the game against Betis and holding midfielder Moises Hurtado is suspended.
Valverde is frustrated by those absences.
``This is not a great moment because I would like to have all of my players available, but I can't do anything about it. Those who come in will be important and if we can win the three points tomorrow it will be phenomenal,'' he said.
However, the Espanyol coach is well aware that his side tend to struggle against teams near the bottom of the table and, after back-to-back defeats in such games, Valverde is taking nothing for granted against Betis.
``They have made life difficult for us in the past and will be a very difficult rival,'' he said.
``They have been more aggressive recently. They have a good squad and are in good form at the moment, which has seen them move out of the bottom three. We are expecting a hard match.''
Espanyol will move to sign a striker as a temporary replacement for Tamudo - who will be out for around two months - before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Valverde does welcome back winger Albert Riera for the game against Betis, though, after the Spain midfielder recovered from a knock he picked up in Valladolid.
Meanwhile, Espanyol will hope to boost their attendance on Sunday after inviting Barcelona's Ecuadorian population to attend the game for free.
Up to 5000 South Americans are expected at Montjuic as the club search for ways to maximise their fan-base.
The programme, which has already seen Mexicans and Argentinians invited to the ground free of charge on previous match days, aims to win over some of the immigrant support from the club's hugely-popular city rivals, Barcelona.
Despite their lack of fans and recent dip in form, Espanyol are enjoying a wonderful league campaign.
The Catalans lie in fifth after 20 rounds of the championship, one point behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
Betis are in a much more precarious position.
Since sacking previous coach Hector Cuper, the Andalusian side have at least moved out of the bottom three, but still face a nervous run-in, given that they sit above the bottom three on goal difference alone.
However, the Seville-based side have lost just one of their last six league games and coach Francisco Chaparro is happy with the recent improvement.
``We are excited. I can tell the players are progressing and we will be looking for a good result on Sunday,'' he said.
Despite moving out of the bottom three, Chaparro knows his side are still in trouble.
``We have almost got ourselves out of danger, but we are still down there with a lot of other teams and we can't afford to slip back,'' he said.
Nano, Toni Doblas and David Rivas all miss the trip to Barcelona through injury, while Juande is suspended.
The Barcelona-based side saw their impressive 17-match unbeaten run brought to an end by Almeria two weeks ago and lost again at Real Valladolid last weekend.
In between those two games, Ernesto Valverde's side also crashed out of the Copa del Rey and their misery was compounded when they lost captain Raul Tamudo this week - their talismanic striker suffered a broken arm in training.
Valverde now wants his side to put their recent woes behind them.
``We need to get back on track, forget about the last two defeats and win in order to consolidate our position in the league,'' he said. ``We are fifth and if we win, we will maintain our position.''
While Tamudo is definitely ruled out of Sunday's match, playmaker Ivan De La Pena also looks set to miss the game against Betis and holding midfielder Moises Hurtado is suspended.
Valverde is frustrated by those absences.
``This is not a great moment because I would like to have all of my players available, but I can't do anything about it. Those who come in will be important and if we can win the three points tomorrow it will be phenomenal,'' he said.
However, the Espanyol coach is well aware that his side tend to struggle against teams near the bottom of the table and, after back-to-back defeats in such games, Valverde is taking nothing for granted against Betis.
``They have made life difficult for us in the past and will be a very difficult rival,'' he said.
``They have been more aggressive recently. They have a good squad and are in good form at the moment, which has seen them move out of the bottom three. We are expecting a hard match.''
Espanyol will move to sign a striker as a temporary replacement for Tamudo - who will be out for around two months - before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Valverde does welcome back winger Albert Riera for the game against Betis, though, after the Spain midfielder recovered from a knock he picked up in Valladolid.
Meanwhile, Espanyol will hope to boost their attendance on Sunday after inviting Barcelona's Ecuadorian population to attend the game for free.
Up to 5000 South Americans are expected at Montjuic as the club search for ways to maximise their fan-base.
The programme, which has already seen Mexicans and Argentinians invited to the ground free of charge on previous match days, aims to win over some of the immigrant support from the club's hugely-popular city rivals, Barcelona.
Despite their lack of fans and recent dip in form, Espanyol are enjoying a wonderful league campaign.
The Catalans lie in fifth after 20 rounds of the championship, one point behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
Betis are in a much more precarious position.
Since sacking previous coach Hector Cuper, the Andalusian side have at least moved out of the bottom three, but still face a nervous run-in, given that they sit above the bottom three on goal difference alone.
However, the Seville-based side have lost just one of their last six league games and coach Francisco Chaparro is happy with the recent improvement.
``We are excited. I can tell the players are progressing and we will be looking for a good result on Sunday,'' he said.
Despite moving out of the bottom three, Chaparro knows his side are still in trouble.
``We have almost got ourselves out of danger, but we are still down there with a lot of other teams and we can't afford to slip back,'' he said.
Nano, Toni Doblas and David Rivas all miss the trip to Barcelona through injury, while Juande is suspended.