Granada CF vs Valladolid preview - Medina: Treat this as cup final

Posted Thursday, January 09, 2014 by PA

Granada striker Francisco Medina has told his team-mates to treat Friday's meeting with Real Valladolid as a cup final as defeat could see them hauled back into the relegation dogfight.

Back-to-back defeats against Real Sociedad and Almeria have left Granada hovering four points above the drop zone, and with the visitors in the thick of that battle, only outside the bottom three on goal difference, the tension will be high at the Estadio Los Carmenes.

"Anything we can do to unite the group again and get back to the feelings we had before would be positive," Medina said.

"We must focus as a group and avoid a repeat of the mistakes in the last few games.

"We are in a difficult position in the table but we have a good team so we don't want to get into a struggle. Friday's game against Valladolid is like a final so we must be focused from the first minute to the last."

Valladolid took a point from a goalless draw with Real Betis last time out, and even though a win eluded them, coach Juan Ignacio Martinez believes the worst is over for his side as they look to pull away from trouble.

"Not everything is bad, because even though we have not won many games I think we are out of our decline," he said.

Martinez is wary of Granada's attacking potency, however, and is looking for his side to stay solid on their travels.

"They have very good players up front," he said. "We know we need to stay strong defensively."