Sevilla vs Levante preview - Michel urges Sevilla to bounce back

Posted Saturday, April 21, 2012 by PA

Sevilla manager Michel is still hurting from Monday's 5-1 defeat to Getafe and has demanded an improvement from his side when they face Levante on Saturday night.

Los Nervionenses actually took the lead at the Coliseum Alfonso Pirez through Alvaro Negredo's spectacular overhead kick, before going on to concede four second-half goals, and Michel has said they must learn from that painful experience.

He told Marca: "I have asked them if my team is the one that played in the first-half against Getafe and Zaragoza or the one in the second-half at Getafe. If it is the one in the second-half then it is better that we think about doing something else.

"Apologising doesn't help anything, we have messed up hugely the other day. We know that and we don't have any excuse for not showing what we are capable of. The players are not scared or intimidated, they know the fans are hurt but they will support us in the Sanchez Pizjuan.

"We have had a setback and it hurts but we have to learn from it and move on."

Michel will at least be boosted by the return of Jose Antonio Reyes, but Andres Palop has still not recovered from his calf problem so Javi Varas will continue to deputise in goal.

Levante defender Gustavo Cabral, though, still sees Sevilla as a threat to his side's chances of European football next season and has described the clash between the two as a six-pointer.

The Argentine told AS: "The truth is this league is a little strange because we have lost two straight games and maintained our position in fifth, but we are only thinking about winning the next game, not about the teams that are closing on us.

"It is not a game of three points but of six because it is very important in the fight that we have with the pack at the top and the dream we have of European football."

The suspended Juanfran and injured Asier del Horno are the only absentees for Levante so Pedro Lopez may be forced into an unnatural position at left-back.