Athletic Bilbao vs Villarreal preview - Catala reveals Villarreal desire

Posted Sunday, March 20, 2011 by PA

Villarreal defender Jose Manuel Catala believes his side can eliminate one of their potential rivals for a Champions League berth if they can defeat Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

Despite a disappointing run of recent domestic form which has them win just one of their last seven league games, Villarreal are still well placed in their chase for a top-four finish.

They are currently three points behind Valencia in third and boast a healthy eight-point advantage over Espanyol in fifth.

They are also a point further better off than sixth-placed Athletic as well, and Catala feels a victory could end any threat the Basque side may pose them.

He said: "We have a good cushion of points, but we are going to San Mames with all the desire in the world.

"It's not a decisive game, but if we beat them you could say we would discard a direct rival."

Catala also warned Athletic that his side have renewed confidence following their midweek Europa League success over Bundesliga high-flyers Bayer Leverkusen.

Villarreal were left stunned last week as they were held 1-1 at home by nine-man Sporting Gijon in La Liga, but they bounced back by recording a 2-1 win over Leverkusen on Thursday to complete a 5-3 aggregate triumph and seal a place in the quarter-finals.

Catala added: "We have boosted morale ahead of the match against Athletic.

"It's going to be a very physical game. Athletic will play with a lot if intensity, but we have confidence and I'm sure that we will do things well."

Athletic's own European challenge suffered a nosedive recently when they lost four matches on the trot, but a 2-0 win over Sevilla got them back on track and last weekend they twice fought back from deficits to draw 2-2 at Getafe.

With 10 games to go, Joaquin Caparros` boast a three-point lead over Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, who both face tricky games this weekend against Real Madrid and Valencia, respectively.

Athletic midfielder Pablo Orbaiz said of his side's hunt for a top-six berth: "We are so excited by the possibility of getting into Europe. Not qualifying would be a disappointment."