Valencia boss Nuno Espirito Santo is adamant Monday night’s opponents Malaga are direct rivals in the fight for European places this season.
The Portuguese takes his team to La Rosaleda sitting in fifth position with a nine-point advantage over the seventh-placed Andalusians, but believes Javi Gracia’s men are still in contention for the top spots this season.
“This is going to be a very difficult match against a team that are direct rivals to us. They are a very good side,” Nuno told reporters.
“However, our goal remains the same and we must be aware that we’ve got to win. We need to take as many points as possible to achieve our aims.
“This is a really competitive League and it’s important to take points off everyone as all games are worth the same. We can’t relax,” he maintained.
