Preview: Underdogs Swansea City could cause Valencia upset
Valencia have lost their last three La Liga encounters, conceding nine goals in the process. Their tag of favourites in Group A does not seem justified by their current form. Coach Miroslav Djukic revealed that his men are “worried” about their poor run. So how will Los Che rise up to the challenge on the opening day of the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League? Djukic explained in the build up to the Swansea match:
“It's very important to win and put recent defeats behind us. We must stay focused, continue working and stop conceding so many goals. We're all looking in the same direction, with the same aim. We just have to keep things simple, go back to basics.”
He added:
“This match against Swansea is a good opportunity to improve but do we change our approach to be more defensive? That's not in Valencia's makeup. This is our moment: the moment when the team, the coaching staff and the club work together with the fans to sort out the situation.”
Swansea City can build confidence in their recent form which saw them beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 away from home before avoiding defeat against English Premier League leaders Liverpool in a 2-2 draw at the Liberty Stadium.
Michael Laudrup’s side clinched a spot in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League thanks to last season’s historic Capital One Cup triumph. Such opportunities do not come too often for a club like Swansea City. A great start to the campaign at the Mestalla Stadium will reinforce their ambition of going as far as they can in the Europa League.
“For most of my players, this will be their first competitive match outside the UK, so it will be a great experience for them,” Laudrup told the press.
“I'm looking forward to it, with no pressure at all.”
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
In Canada at 13:00 ET on: Sportsnet Ontario / East / West / Pacific, Sportsnet World Online
Internationally at 17:00 GMT on: UEFA Match Centre
In Spain at 19:00 CET on: GOL T, Cuatro, MiTele, Gol Stadium
In UK at 18:00 BST on: ITV Streaming, ITV 4
In USA at 13:00 ET on: Fox Soccer 2Go, ESPN Deportes, Fox Sports 1, SiriusXM FC
If you want to get live scores of full live stream and TV listings, please visit the Valencia-Swansea match page.
