Dutt out to reign in Spain

Manager Robin Dutt wants his Bayer Leverkusen side to repeat their feats the last time they met Valencia in the Champions League.

Two second-half strikes helped the Bundesliga club win 2-1 and collect three vital Group E points at BayArena on October 19, greatly helping their quest for qualification to the next stage.

Dutt and defender Gonzalo Castro believe they will be under pressure from the start of Tuesday’s match at the Mestalla, but are still targeting three points against their La Liga opponents.

“After two tough matches against Genk and Chelsea, perhaps the most important match until now was the first leg against Valencia,” Dutt said.

“After 35 minutes of great football from Valencia, we were lucky to only concede one goal. After that we were able to show our quality and the possibilities that we have and were able to turn the score around and win the match. As for (Tuesday’s) match, we are looking for a win but I think it will be a very difficult match.”

Castro – German-born but of Spanish descent – believes his side must begin well in order to keep Valencia on their toes.

“I think that they will try to pressure us from the start of the match. They will be aggressive and play like they did the first half of the home match. They are especially good in counter-attacking football and they have very loyal and vocal supporters,” he said.

“However, if they haven’t scored in the first 30 or 35 minutes, the fans can become impatient and start showing their frustration and this can be negative for the home team.”

“I think that Valencia playing at home and still with chances to qualify for the next round will be a very difficult rival for us. I think they are favourites but we will try to do as much damage as we can and try to re-create the second half of the match we played in Leverkusen.”