'El Rifle' looking for deadly dozen

Unless his own team-mate Luis Garcia scores an unprecedented number of goals in Wednesday's final at Hampden Park, Walter Pandiani will finish as the leading scorer in this season's UEFA Cup, although the RCD Espanyol striker has other things on his mind.

Scoring spree
With eleven goals – five more than García - ahead of the meeting with holders Sevilla FC in Glasgow, Pandiani has had an extraordinary scoring run. Espanyol, meanwhile, have combined attractive football with a pragmatic approach to reach only their second European final and, typically for the hard-nosed Uruguayan international, there is no question in his mind that he will score and that his team will defeat the reigning champions.

Minor concerns
Three things about the final do leave him slightly concerned, however; the endless media interviews; that age-old worry about dropping the cup if it is presented to him; and not winning the squad bonus money which would come with lifting the trophy. "Am I nervous? No way," grins the striker known as 'El Rifle' for his extravagant goal celebration. "The time for nerves is when you actually have to lift the cup or all the times when being in this position means you have to speak in public.

Staunch support
"But when you were born to play football like I was and have worked so hard to get here there's nothing better than the chance to score a goal and win a big game. I've got quite a few friends and family coming over from Uruguay for the match and none of us have even given a second thought to the idea of losing. But if that does happen, of course, we'll all be morose about the amount of prize money which has been tossed away!"

'Total madness'
Said with a broad grin, it is the joke of a sportsman trying to focus solely on the positive, and on victory. But there have been other distractions. Not only did Pandiani score a superb hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu last Saturday, although Espanyol still lost 4-3 to Real Madrid CF, he has also been besieged for Hampden tickets. "It has been madness, total madness," Pandiani grimaces. "Friends, acquaintances, everybody in the neighbourhood whether I know them or not. Even people who I know are not Espanyol fans, they've all begged me for tickets.

'Absolutely crazy'
"Two factors have made this absolutely crazy," said the striker, whose club reached the 1988 final only to lose to Bayer 04 Leverkusen despite a 3-0 first-leg victory. "Firstly, Espanyol have the good luck to try to correct the fact that they reached the UEFA Cup final a few years back and lost in sad circumstances. But I also think the fact that this team has put on a really good show this season is an additional factor.

Morale high
"We've gone to really difficult grounds and won playing really good football when some people gave nothing for our chances. That means morale is really high, and I feel that way too. It's already been an extraordinary season given my goals to minutes played ratio. Hopefully now my run will continue and I'll get a goal as if this was 'just another game'. But none of us are forgetting how important a final is and that you don't get this chance every day."