Nuno Santo says he is “very optimistic that with hard work and by playing as a team”, Valencia will qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Los Che head into the final round of La Liga in fourth, a point clear of nearest challengers Sevilla, and can even pip Atletico Madrid to an automatic place in the 2015-16 group stage with a win at Almeria thanks to their superior head-to-head.
“All I’m thinking about is winning the match [on Sunday]. All my strength is geared towards [Sunday’s] game,” he said at a Press conference.
“I’m very optimistic that with hard work and by playing as a team, we’ll achieve our objective [of Champions League qualification].
“[La Liga’s] a very competitive League and all the teams play good football. We go [into Week 38] on 74 points and want to leave with three more.
“We have to be proud [of getting to this position]. The optimism for [Sunday’s] match is very strong.
“We know how and when to play, but we must always keep our idea of the game intact and be aware of how to handle all aspects of the match.
“[Almeria] will be tough opponents, who have important goals to achieve themselves.
“They’ve changed their style of play under Sergi [Barjuan]. He has some good players and we have a lot of respect for Almeria, but [on Sunday] we’ll fight as a team because that’s what success takes.
“[On Real Madrid speculation], it’s an important period in the season and not an iota of selfishness has entered our system.
“None of us are distracted [by the outside]. Anything unrelated to Valencia isn’t allowed here.
“The support given to us at all times [by the Valencia fans] has been fantastic, and I can only thank them. We can achieve our objectives together.”
