Getafe boosted ahead of Zaragoza clash

Posted Friday, March 01, 2013 by PA

With Primera Division survival within their sights, Getafe's players have been given an added incentive for beating struggling Real Zaragoza on Friday night - three days off work.

Getafe head into the match sitting in ninth spot in the standings on 35 points, 10 more than fourth-bottom Zaragoza and 12 clear of the drop zone.

It is looking good for the Madrid-based outfit to earn a 10th successive season in the top flight, but coach Luis Garcia knows they are not quite safe yet with Villarreal having gone down with 41 points last year and Deportivo La Coruna with 43 the previous season.

That is one of the reasons why Garcia has offered an extra reward to his players if they can follow up last week's 3-1 win at Real Mallorca with another three-point haul.

He said: "If we win, it will put us on 38 points and we can enjoy a free weekend.

"I promised my players that if we beat Mallorca and Zaragoza, they would have three days off, until Tuesday. I hope we can give it to them."

Although they are only seven points off the Champions League spots, Garcia's focus remains on the teams below them rather than above.

He said: "We need to continue picking up points to guarantee our survival.

"After that, if we can get higher up the table, then so much the better.

"We're only thinking about beating Zaragoza, who are a very intense, aggressive and tough team."

Zaragoza are still searching for their first league win of 2013, with their opening eight games of the year resulting in three draws and five defeats.

Manuel Jimenez's side looked poised to end that poor run last weekend after leading Valencia 2-0 at home, but the visitors got back on level terms and Zaragoza were somewhat fortunate to even get a point in the end after playing out the final 13 minutes with a man less.

Dutch defender Glenn Loovens admits his side cannot afford to let any opportunities slip away as they seek to avoid the drop.

"We know that it's going to be very tough from now on, we have to start winning to relieve some of the pressure. We have to start winning, beginning with Getafe," he said.