Valencia rely on Mestalla factor

By Carlos Urrutia

Valencia CF will hope history repeats itself when they play Internazionale FC in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.

Home comforts
The Spanish side made home advantage count on their two previous last-eight appearances in the competition - thrashing S.S. Lazio 5-2 at Mestalla in the 2000 tournament to go through 5-3 on aggregate, then seeing off Arsenal FC on away goals the following year with a 1-0 home success.

Inter lead
But if they are to achieve a treble of famous victories, Rafael Benítez's team must overcome the deficit caused by Christian Vieri's solitary strike at San Siro two weeks ago. "It was the worst possible scoreline for us," Valencia defender Amedeo Carboni said of the 1-0 defeat. "As an Italian, I'm aware of how experienced Inter are at pushing home this kind of advantage. They play better away from San Siro than in Milan. They are a good team and have more to them than just Vieri, [Alvaro] Recoba and [Hernán] Crespo. It will be one of the games of the season here."

Dangerous precedent
An away goal, such as Inter scored when winning, decisively, 1-0 at Valencia in last season's UEFA Cup quarter-final between the sides, would leave the hosts with a mountain to climb. "We will have to be at our best to reach the semi-finals," Carboni added.

Weekend loss
Valencia must also improve on Saturday's 1-0 league defeat at Real Valladolid which left them in fifth place in the Primera División. That performance increased the pressure on Benítez, who said: "I'm sure we can beat Inter - they have weaknesses but we will only find them if we play well."

Team selection
Benítez has to decide whether to replace the suspended David Albelda with another holding midfield player - the most likely deputy being the Uruguayan Gonzalo de los Santos - or to deploy a second forward in attack. The latter option would mean Juan Sánchez partnering John Carew, just in front of Pablo Aimar.

Benítez warning
The coach must also contend with injuries to Kily González, Curro Torres and Francisco Rufete, although of greater concern is the attitude of his players. "We have to show if we can, and if we want to, stay alive in the Champions League as well as in the top four of the Spanish league," he said. "It is a time for brave and clever players. They say they are hungry enough but they don't solve the problems on the pitch. We have to show our best face against Inter."

Cúper connection
Benítez's opposite number, the former Valencia coach Héctor Cúper, who oversaw those victories against Lazio and Arsenal en route to successive final appearances, is without the injured Fabio Cannavaro, Emre Belözoglu who is suspended, and the dropped Sérgio Conceição. However, French midfield player Stéphane Dalmat is involved having made a successful comeback from injury in Saturday's 1-0 league win at Brescia Calcio.

Safety first
Team-mate Recoba said: "It will be a special match in a great stadium. I think we will have our chances to score, but our main task will be to protect the goal we scored in Milan and get into the semi-finals."