Getafe vs Sevilla preview - Michel targets Champions League

Posted Monday, April 16, 2012 by PA

In-form Sevilla will look to continue their late-season push for a Champions League berth with victory over Getafe, although coach Michel is well aware of the threat his former club Getafe pose to his current side.

Aside from top two Real Madrid and Barcelona, Sevilla are in the best form of any team in La Liga and four victories in their last five matches have seen them climb up to seventh in the standings.

They are now within seven points of third-placed Valencia and, with Los Che being thrashed 4-0 by Espanyol earlier today, Sevilla will be hoping to reduce that gap to four points when they travel to 11th-placed Getafe

Michel said: "We have to push on because we have a very good chance, independent of who we are playing, to get ourselves into a position where we haven't been since the 16th or 17th round of the season.

"We are in good form and we want to take advantage of it. Then we'll see what happens."

Michel knows his side cannot afford to be complacent about the trip to the capital, however.

Getafe have already beaten the likes of Barcelona, Valencia and Atletico Madrid at home this season while in Sevilla's last seven visits to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez they have suffered five defeats and picked up only one victory.

Michel, who left Getafe last summer, said: "We have a chance to catch up with all of the teams in front of us, but to do that you need to win, and we already know what happens in Getafe to teams who go there with confidence and self-assurance, which is normally that Getafe work out how to play against them and beat them."

Getafe have lost two of their last three matches, going down to heavy away defeats at Atletico and Barcelona, but despite that they are still only three points behind Sevilla in a compact Primera Division table.

Coach Luis Garcia said: "If we beat Sevilla we will be well in the fight for Europe. If we don't, we will take a very important step backwards."

He added of their opponents: "We are facing a great team. You only have to see their players, Manu (del Moral), (Alvaro) Negredo, Jesus Navas, (Frederic) Kanoute, (Jose Antonio) Reyes...all their players are of the top level. That we are fighting with them says a lot about what Getafe are doing.

"It's a difficult game, but at home we've done well against the big teams."