Javi Gracia has issued a rallying cry to supporters ahead of Malaga’s late kick-off against Getafe in La Liga on Saturday.
Almost half of La Rosaleda was empty during the Andalucians’ 2-0 defeat by Espanyol a fortnight ago, also a 21:00 GMT fixture, leaving the Coach to call out the side’s fans and demand they make their presence heard this weekend.
“To me, things have changed because when I check out our opponents, I do my analysis based on their Coach,” he said at a Press conference.
“Right now there’s the uncertainty of knowing the changes they’ve made [referring to Quique Sanchez Flores’ departure]. Regardless, Getafe have players with great individual characteristics.
“[Their situation] doesn’t fool me a bit and I don’t think it’ll be an easy match. [Getafe] are a team, who play good football and sometimes overwhelm you.
“[The attendance figures] is something which is very conditional. Do fewer spectators in the stands mean the fans are estranged? I don’t think so.
“I’d like the stadium to be full at all times. Hopefully [this will be the case on Saturday], so I ask the fans [to show their support].
“I don’t want to talk about what happens next week. If we talk about it, it’d divert attention away from what really matters, which is the victory [on Saturday].
“We must be focused because there are many difficulties [awaiting us]. All the teams [in La Liga] are fighting to achieve their objectives, and no opponents for us are affordable.
“[Reaching] 41 points is our current objective, but we have to be very cautious and realistic.
“It’s possible that our reality can be another, but at the moment importance must be given to every point.
“[The away defeat to Getafe earlier in the season] was one of our worst games [of the season]. We had some good chances but then walked into a bad dynamic.
“We want to improve on everything we did [that day] in order to win the game.”
