After seven defeats in the last eight games, Espanyol have assumed that if they do not win against Getafe today (6:30 p.m.) relegation will be the most likely fate for this team. It is, therefore, a life-or-death confrontation in which victory against a direct rival only ensures that you continue with a life point, or even leave the relegation places.
"We won't say goodbye if we don't win, but it's true that losing reduces our options", conceded Luis García, coach of Espanyol, who refuses to believe in salvation because "the group is aware of the situation".
The truth is that the change of coach has not succeeded in reviving a team in a deep depression. In four games he has only added one point. His footballing proposal, brave and determined, has not served to improve defensively, with nine goals conceded, and the negative results have left the team four points from salvation with seven games to go.
Getafe, located immediately above the Perico team, arrives with the upheaval that has resulted from the hiring of José Bordalás, whose style is well known. "We know what we will find. We will go out with bloodshot eyes, because we are gambling for our lives, and that is why we have to give everything we have and a little more", added Luis García.
"I came because of the affection I have for my president, who is my friend. Also for the love of my club and my fans. I couldn't stay at home with my arms folded", assured, for his part, the Madrid coach just after arriving.
Espanyol's dressing room will try to isolate itself from the pressure it has been under for weeks at the RCDE Stadium, where it has only won three games this season, which is one of the coach's biggest concerns. The team recovers Brian Oliván, whose absence has coincided with the worst run of results this season.
