Unai Emery concedes it is win or bust for Sevilla when they host Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Andalucians could fall six points behind the Premier League leaders and suffer from a negative head-to-head record after the match at Sanchez Pizjuan, leaving their Coach to stress the importance of a victory.
“If City win, they'll be out of our sight. If they draw, they'll take an important advantage,” he said at a Press conference.
“If Juventus pass nine points, we're also out. Tuesday's decisive for first and second place, it's all about winning.
“It's almost the only choice we have if we want to reach the knockout stages.
“We're looking forward, working hard to seek synergies and improvements.
“I'm focused on being optimistic as it gives us more good than harm.
“We're in the Champions League, which is what we wanted, where the team are posed challenges, and that should give us the strength to overcome difficulties and obstacles.
“On one hand, there have been plenty of positives besides the negatives, which has led to good results at Sanchez Pizjuan. On the other, we're lacking consistency.
“[On Wednesday] we must show consistency in a huge challenge, comparable to the match against Barca due to the stature of our opponents, the Premier League leaders.
“[City] are opponents of the highest level and we'll see how far we can go in the competition against them. Our preparation for the game will be the very best.
“They have top players, but we come into the game from losing 2-1 in Manchester, where we did many things well, and we want to build on what we did there in order to beat them this time around.
“We have good players, who are all committed to give their best, and we know how much we can get at them.
“It'll be extremely difficult. [City] and Juventus are favourites to reach the final and win [the CL].
“Every game is an opportunity to strike a blow on the table, and [Wednesday] will be a great Champions League night for our fans.
“[On criticism he has faced], I'm self-critical during the good and bad times.
“I'm responsible when we win or lose and I always keep my composure.
“We must work hard, that's clear, and I only have respect for the players. Some of the criticism can benefit you, some can't.”
