Swansea manager Michael Laudrup says, 'Valencia having it tough'

19 September 2013 09:31

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup has piled the pressure on Valencia ahead of their Europa League meeting, claiming the Spanish club's fans could turn on a side who are a shadow of their former glories.

The Primera Division side are the top seed in the competition, and are the favourites to top Group A, which also includes Kuban Krasnodar and St Gallen.

But Los Che have endured a difficult start to their campaign, and Sunday's 3-1 defeat at Real Betis leaves them 16th in the table, building the scrutiny on new boss Miroslav Djukic, who succeeded Ernesto Valverde in June.

Valencia have traditionally been the closest rivals to Real Madrid and Barcelona's dominance of the Spanish game.

They were Champions League runners-up in 2000 and 2001, with former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez then guiding them to two La Liga titles and a UEFA Cup win during his tenure.

Laudrup, does not feel the current squad lives up to those standards, and believes his Swans have a chance of getting a good result on Thursday night.

He said: "They have been the third team in Spain for many years. Maybe at this moment Atletico Madrid are just above them.

"Having said that, they have had a very rough start. They have a new manager and they have sold a couple of their top players, like Roberto Soldado to Tottenham.

"They have had only one win in four games and on Sunday they play Sevilla, so it's a difficult moment for them. We have to do our best and, if we do that, I think we have a good chance."

He added: "The Valencia fans have been used to seeing great players and great teams at their club.

Source: PA