Ramos wary of Osasuna threat

Sevilla FC coach Juande Ramos has urged his team to learn from their history as they vie for a place in the UEFA Cup final at home to CA Osasuna on Thursday.

Underdogs
The Andalusian outfit may be the holders but last week's 1-0 loss in Pamplona has undermined their bid to become the first side to successfully defend the trophy since Real Madrid CF in the mid-1980s. And for Ramos, the fear is that surprise-package Osasuna will again revel in the underdog role once familiar to his own players.

Shades of Schalke
"We were in the same position as them in last year's semi-finals when we played a big European team in FC Schalke 04," he said. "We were much smaller, but we eliminated Schalke through sheer persistence and strength. That's why Osasuna's performance in Pamplona makes sense to me. This is a unique and historic opportunity for them." If overconfidence blighted Sevilla's first-leg display, the hosts are determined not to stumble into that trap again. "Fortunately we came back with a result that keeps our dream alive," explained the man at the helm. "I think we needed that little shock to wake up. I just hope it isn't too late, but we'll put all our strength into going through, even if it means sweating blood."

Title challenge
The form book suggests Ramos's charges will have their say yet, having scored at least once in their 12 previous UEFA Cup fixtures in Seville. They also saw off Osasuna 2-0 in the Primera División at the same venue in November and warmed up for Thursday's encounter by overcoming fellow European contenders RCD Espanyol 3-1 on Sunday. That kept them a point off leaders FC Barcelona – with Osasuna in 14th – and despite the demands of their title challenge, Ramos still elected to rest Frédéric Kanouté, Luis Fabiano, Julien Escudé, Javi Navarro and Adriano Correia. Only flu victim Ivica Dragutinović is doubtful, in fact, as goalkeeper Andrés Palop returned to the fray at the weekend.

'Never as confident'
Their opponents are near to full-strength too, with only Roberto Soldado missing through suspension after scoring last week's winner. In his absence, Pierre Webó is expected to operate as a lone striker, using his pace to punish Sevilla on the break. Further back, fit-again Iranian midfielder Javad Nekounam will form a protective shield in front of defence. Osasuna coach José Ángel Ziganda hopes his men can "enjoy the game", but knowing they have conceded just one goal in their last eight UEFA Cup outings, he anticipates that they will battle hard as well. "The further we go, the more intense the experience becomes," he stated. "At every stage, we thought we could go further, but we've never felt as confident as we do now."

Evenly balanced
Confidence aside, though, Ziganda, whose side were held to a 2-2 home draw by Real Zaragoza on Sunday, admits the tie is evenly balanced: "We know Sevilla will perform better than last week. They'll be more concentrated, like they have been in the Spanish league all season. But whatever happens, we'll go home with our heads held high, knowing we gave everything."

Probable teams
Sevilla: Andrés Palop; Daniel Alves, Javi Navarro, Julien Escudé, David Castedo; Jesús Navas, Christian Poulsen, José Luis Martí, Adriano Correia; Frédéric Kanouté, Luis Fabiano.

Osasuna: Ricardo López; José Izquierdo, César Cruchaga, Javier Cuéllar, Enrique Corrales; Javad Nekounam; Juanfran, Patxi Puñal, Raúl García, David López; Pierre Webó.