Villarreal vs Atletico de Madrid preview - Lotina: Our match of the year

Posted Sunday, May 13, 2012 by PA

Villarreal manager Miguel Angel Lotina believes his players must solely concentrate on securing survival themselves rather than hoping for other results to go their way on the final day of the season.

The Yellow Submarine need a point against newly-crowned Europa League winners Atletico Madrid to guarantee a 13th consecutive season in the Primera Division, but could also stay up should Real Zaragoza and Rayo Vallecano fail to win.

"For us it is clear, this is the match of the year and the match in which together we are playing for everything," Lotina told the club's website.

"Not just the players, but the club, the fans, the city and all of us are playing a very important match for our future. In the past 10 years Villarreal has been a reference for its style of football, for what it has represented.

"It is not good for footballers to know the other results, because at the end Villarreal, only and exclusively, depends on itself.

"We know what we need and I don't think there is anything positive in knowing how the other teams are doing. The only thing it can do is distract us and this doesn't make sense because we depend on ourselves."

Lotina will be able to recall experienced campaigners Marcos Senna and Carlos Marchena to the side that lost 1-0 at Valencia last weekend as the former returns from a hamstring injury and the latter from suspension.

Atleti goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois meanwhile is hoping to build on their success on Wednesday night by sealing a Champions League place.

Diego Simeone's men need to win and hope Malaga drop points at home to Sporting Gijon if they are to finish fourth and Courtois has also underlined the importance of just concentrating on their own job.

He told AS: "It will be difficult, but there is an opportunity that exists and we are going to go for it. We will give everything to win and if, in the end, Malaga also win then it doesn't matter.

"The important thing is to leave El Madrigal with the certainty that we gave everything until the end."

Simeone will be forced into at least one change from the side that started in Bucharest as Arda Turan is suspended so Eduardo Salvio should start in the Turk's absence.