Espanyol ace targets Ajax

Joint top scorer in the UEFA Cup group stage to date, RCD Espanyol's Luis García is hoping his goalscoring run will continue as his side visit AFC Ajax.

Four goals
After a goal against AC Sparta Praha in Espanyol's first Group F game, García struck a hat-trick in a 6-2 win against SV Zulte Waregem on Matchday 3 to take his total in the group stage to four - leaving him level with SV Zulte Waregem's Tim Matthys, who has played a game more. However, the prospect of taking sole command at the top of the scorers' table is not the biggest thing on the striker's mind as his team seek the point in Amsterdam that would confirm their place in the last 32. "Although a draw would be good, we have to be ambitious and look to win the match," he said.

League results
While performances in the Primera División have been disappointing this season, with the Barcelona club slipping to 14th in the table, Espanyol have produced some fine displays in Europe. The same is true of García himself, who also scored in the UEFA Cup first round, meaning he has five goals overall in the continental competition this term.

Madrid trainee
Having started his career in the Real Madrid CF youth ranks, García eventually made it into the top division with Real Murcia CF in 2003/04. He scored eleven league goals in that campaign and then matched that total the following season at RCD Mallorca. The 25-year-old joined Espanyol in the summer of 2005 and played a starring role as they won the Copa del Rey last season. His smart, clever game saw him link up well with captain Raúl Tamudo in attack, and he ended the campaign with ten league goals.

Attacking options
The arrival of Uruguayan Walter Pandiani in December 2005 further strengthened Espanyol's attacking options and they have underlined their potential with 13 goals in four UEFA Cup games so far. However, this has offered little compensation for some disappointing results at home. At the start of the season, Espanyol lost to FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and were then dumped out of the Copa del Rey by second division Rayo Vallecano.

Domestic disappointments
A row with coach Ernesto Valverde saw García left on the bench briefly, even though he had signed a contract tying him to the club until 2012. However, those personal issues are now resolved and the striker is determined that any domestic disappointments will not spill over into Espanyol's European adventure. "We can't place too much importance on our bad results in the league because the UEFA Cup is a different competition," he said.

Positive outlook
García, who scored twice in last season's UEFA Cup, knows the best thing is to focus on the positives. "I feel great and I've already scored more goals than in the whole of last season's campaign," he said. "I'm holding my position and creating more danger. All I want to do is improve."