Familiarity is breeding respect and not contempt as Sevilla
prepare to go head-to-head with fellow Primera Liga side Espanyol
in the all-Spanish UEFA Cup final in Glasgow tonight.
The two teams have been singing each other's praises and both
sides know that it is likely to be a far tighter affair than recent
UEFA Cup finals.
"Espanyol always make for uncomfortable opponents," said Sevilla
coach Juande Ramos who coached the Catalans for a short spell
before falling out with the board at the start of the 2002-2003
season.
"Teams like them who aren't the favorites are always very
focused when they go into a final and that's why so many upsets
occur."
Sevilla's incombustible wing back Daniel Alves agrees that
Espanyol are likely to put up far more resistance than
Middlesbrough did in last year's final.
"We would have liked to have come up against a team who didn't
know us, because we have our characteristics, our way of playing
and to play Espanyol is more difficult because they know us
perfectly," the Brazilian told uefa.com.
"But that's the way it is. We have to play them and it is going
to be very difficult. Espanyol score a lot of goals and we have to
be on our guard."
Espanyol's prowess in front of goal was demonstrated to
devastating effect in their 4-3 defeat at Real Madrid in the league
on Saturday.
The Catalans went 2-0 and then 3-1 up against the nine times
European champions with Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani notching
up a hat-trick in the space of just 19 first-half minutes as they
sliced open the Real defence with three rapier-like
counter-attacks.
But coach Ernesto Valverde's decision to rest several key
players ahead of Wednesday's final at Hampden Park eventually took
its toll as his side were edged out when a determined Real grabbed
a last-gasp victory.
"It almost made me tear out the few hairs I have left on my
head," said Pandiani. "I score three goals against Real at their
own ground and I still come out on the losing side. It's
incredible."
Pandiani is the leading scorer in the UEFA Cup with 11 goals,
while Espanyol, who beat the much-fancied Werder Bremen in the
semifinals, have scored 32 in their unbeaten run to the final.
But with a rejuvenated Frederic Kanoute leading the line, and
Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano, live-wire Russian forward Alexander
Kerzhakov and combative Uruguayan Ernesto Chevanton fighting it out
for a place in the starting line-up, Sevilla also have an attack
that inspires respect.
Talented squad
"Sevilla have been back in the top division for six years and
they've spent every summer improving, buying really well and also
developing their own talent," said Espanyol fullback David
Garcia.
"Above all, in the last two years they have become a very
attacking, very aggressive side."
Like Espanyol, Sevilla also rested several first-line players
for their league match on Saturday, but they managed to emerge with
a 2-1 victory at home to Recreativo Huelva that kept them in the
title race.
Having already secured a place in the final of the King's Cup, a
historic treble remains a possibility for the Andalucians who are
bidding to become the first side since Real Madrid in 1986 to make
a successful defence of the UEFA Cup.
"We are proud and happy to be in with the chance of the treble
and we hope to add the icing on the cake by ending the season with
at least one trophy," said Ramos.
"Our idea was always to get as far as we could in all
competitions and even if we fail when we are on the brink we should
still be very proud of what we've done."
(China Daily via Agencies May 16, 2007)