Pandiani primed for Lisbon pressure

The UEFA Cup's top scorer Walter Pandiani says his side "will suffer" as RCD Espanyol look to defend a 3-2 quarter-final lead at SL Benfica.

Tenth strike
Having already found the target nine times since the first round, Uruguayan striker Pandiani looked to have booked Espanyol's place in the semi-finals as he scored his tenth goal of the campaign to put his side 3-0 up against Benfica in the first leg in Barcelona last week. However, the 29-year-old was left feeling deflated at the final whistle as Espanyol - the highest scoring side in the competition with 27 goals to date - conceded twice in the space of two minutes to allow their Portuguese opponents back into the tie.

Benfica revival
"We're a bit upset about the end of the game because the team was playing well and in the space of ten minutes we let our concentration slip a bit and they scored two goals," he said. "They could have scored a few more if Gorka [Iraizoz] hadn't saved a few chances." Now they must avoid defeat in Lisbon on Thursday to progress, with Pandiani saying: "We're happy because we won the [first leg] and that's the important thing. The quarter-finals are open now. We could have made it into the semi-finals but now we have 90 minutes in Lisbon where we will feel the pressure."

Still unbeaten
Still unbeaten in this season's UEFA Cup, Pandiani hopes that his side's 50th game in European competition will coincide with the right result against Benfica, and he is adamant that they will not be going to the Estádio da Luz to play for a draw. "We will play the same as we usually do away from home - to win," he said. "Up until now we have always played the first leg away and then the return at home but we will have to play the rest of the quarter-final over there, but we're ahead and they will have to beat us."