Sergio warns of Granada threat

Sergio Gonzalez has warned his players Espanyol that Granada will be “playing for their lives” when the teams meet at Los Carmenes on Thursday.

The Andalusians are in the relegation zone and six points adrift of safety, while the Catalans are comfortably placed in mid-table and still entertain European aspirations.

However, Sergio is in no doubt about the threat posed by Abel Resino’s men as they look to try and preserve their top-flight status.

“Granada will be playing for their lives to stay in La Primera and that’s the reality,” the 38-year-old told a Press conference.

“They are going to show a lot of pride and we have to be on the same wavelength as them to increase our options.

“The important thing is to go out knowing it is an important game for them, to put ourselves in their shoes.

“We want to remain competitive despite being in a comfortable position and we’ll see if we can give a good account of ourselves.”

Sergio said he was disappointed with his side’s performance in the derby with Barcelona last Saturday, when Los Pericos suffered a 2-0 reverse, and also commented on the abuse that some sections of the Espanyol support were alleged to have directed towards Barca players.

“What happened was a shame because we didn’t play well. We wanted to bring some joy to our fans but weren’t capable of doing it. We were not up to it…

“For me, the Espanyol supporters are an example and their presence is essential. With them we are so much stronger.

“However, sometimes there are exceptions that prove the rule. On Saturday there some incidents that weren’t pretty,” he conceded.

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