Sevilla vs Granada CF preview - Diogo: Euro semi no distraction

Posted Sunday, April 20, 2014 by PA

Sevilla defender Diogo Figueiras insists his team will be fully focused on Sunday's meeting with Granada, despite their upcoming Europa League semi-final with Valencia.

The club have not got as far as the semi-finals of the competition since they won the UEFA Cup in 2007, but have everything to play for in the Primera Division too.

They are six points behind Athletic Bilbao, who occupy fourth spot, and with the Basques heading to Barcelona, Sevilla could feasibly reduce the gap between the two teams to three points, as long as they beat Granada.

However, Lucas Alcaraz's side head into the game with their top-flight status at stake and will be buoyed by their shock 1-0 win over Barcelona last week.

"First of all we need to beat Granada, then we can think about the Europa League," Diogo told reporters.

"We will continue with the same philosophy we have at the moment, which is to view the season on a game-by-game basis, and we especially need to do that against Granada, who will come here with renewed spirit.

"But we are also fresh from winning (against Porto and Real Betis) and we are playing well. We are in the middle of a great run and we are playing at home."

The Portuguese also paid tribute to the team's spirit, which he believes has played a key role in recovering from the poor start they made to the season, which left them at the bottom of the league in mid-September.

"After a bad start we have found our balance and we are on a roll," he added. When we started we had a squad with many new and young players, but once we got to know each other things started to come more naturally. This is a group, a big family."

Granada moved six points clear of the relegation zone after beating Barcelona, but defender Allan Nyom claims the game with Sevilla is still crucial.

"It's a very difficult game and, if we are to get something positive, we will have to defend well and make sure we don't concede any goals and then attack as we know how once we get the ball," he told reporters.

"They won't be distracted (by the Europa League tie). They have a very good squad and many great players, they are having a great season and we have to try and stop them because we are playing for our lives in Seville."

Granada efender Jeison Murillo, one of the outstanding players in the win over Barcelona, has been ruled out with a knee injury, as has goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez, meaning Greece international Orestis Karnesis, who also won praise for his performance against the Catalans, will keep his place in the team.

Sevilla's Alberto Moreno is a doubt owing to an ankle problem, while Jose Antonio Reyes is suspended.