Joaquin Sanchez is the latest to identify an important game as a final, as he tags Malaga’s trip to Valencia as that important.
The winger, who spent five years at Mestalla before a 2011 move to the Costa del Sol, is back in the city this Saturday evening.
It is for a visit that sees his current team level with Los Che in the table and both sides in the fight for the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot in La Liga.
“It’s going to be a hard-fought game as Valencia are always very strong in home games, and although they’ve conceded a fair few goals this season, we need to focus on playing a serious game and making no mistakes, otherwise we’ll be in trouble,” Joaquin told reporters in anticipation.
“This match is like a final for us, so we must focus on playing the perfect match from the start.
“Valencia aren’t having their best run of results in home games recently, but their fans are very demanding and determined to see their team play good football and win.
“However our job is to make things as difficult as possible for the rival from the start and try to gain the upper hand, and to ensure it’s reflected on the score board.
“It’s important that we concentrate on ourselves. We always have a strong attack, and our philosophy is to maintain possession, so if they have a more upfront defence, we’ll have more options.
“However we’re more used to teams who stay at the back, but I don’t think Valencia will do this at home.
“They’ll be focused on scoring and taking control of the match, but if we can create enough space on the pitch we can step up our attack and hopefully gain the advantage.”
