Rayo Vallecano vs Osasuna preview - Sandoval stunned by demand

Posted Saturday, April 07, 2012 by PA

Rayo Vallecano coach Jose Ramon Sandoval has admitted that his preparation for the match against Osasuna has been disturbed by a demand that he pay back nearly 190,000 euros to the club.

Sandoval said he had received a demand on Thursday ordering him to return an alleged payment made to him 12 days before the club went into administration in June.

He told Marca: "It is not easy to prepare for a game like this.

"It is impossible to work harder than we are doing. We are competing against teams with higher budgets and the only thing we have on our side are the fans."

Sandoval said he was not guilty of any wrongdoing and highlighted the fact that both he and his players got promoted last season despite not being paid for months.

"Last year we weren't being paid and we still went up and now I am being paid only part of what I am due and they say I have acted in bad faith," he said.

"They are the ones who have acted in bad faith, those that don't pay, but this isn't a war I want to get involved in as it is in the hands of my lawyer."

On the field things have started to go wrong recently as well, as three consecutive defeats have dragged Rayo back into the bottom half of the table.

The Madrid side have also conceded 10 goals in those two games so Jorge Pulido or Mikel Labaka may be recalled to partner Alejandro Arribas in central defence.

Osasuna are also looking to bounce back from a defeat having been put to the sword by Real Madrid last weekend, but they remain very much in the hunt for Europe and coach Jose Luis Mendilibar does not want any complacency from his side when they travel to the capital.

He told the club's website: "Rayo are a team that have picked up a lot of points away from home and has been reformed since the January transfer window. It isn't easy to win at Vallecas. If you think you are superior to them then you will lose for sure. We need to compete to ensure we don't lose."

Roland Lamah will be suspended for the visitors after he got himself sent off towards the end of the match against Madrid and Marc Bertran is expected to miss out again through injury so Roversio Rodrigues will continue to deputise at right-back.