Zaragoza vs Levante preview - Aranda basking in feelgood factor

Real Zaragoza striker Carlos Aranda has said it is great to see a smile back on the supporters' faces after the suffering they faced last season as the Aragonese side escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth.

Aranda scored the only goal as Zaragoza beat Levante 1-0 in the Copa del Rey in mid-week as a precursor to Sunday's Primera Division clash between the two, but despite currently sitting closer to the European places than the relegation zone, he insists Manolo Jimenez's men can't get carried away.

He told El Periodico de Aragon: "I now look at people in the fans and I see happiness. And for the players, who live in this, is it something nice. We are very happy.

"Now the fans are very excited. Last year was very bad and this year they are having a little more tranquillity. The problem in Zaragoza is that the people believe we are already a lot more than we are and we have lost the identity of going little step by step. Everyone dreams, but we have to do so with our head in the right place and going game by game."

Despite scoring the winner on Wednesday night though Aranda is unlikely to have forced his way into Jimenez's starting line-up as the former Sevilla boss will recall Helder Postiga and a number of other first-team regulars who were rested in mid-week.

Levante will do the same after Juan Ignacio Martinez made nine changes from the side that beat Mallorca 4-0 last weekend for the Copa del Rey clash and following defeat Martinez was quick to quash rumours over why he hadn't come to an agreement with technical secretary Manolo Salvador over a new contract.

He told Las Provincias: "Manolo and I have a lot of meetings. I am delighted to be at Levante and I said to him that he has contracted me for an objective and it would be very difficult to continue if I didn't achieve it. When we have achieved it, we will sit down and there won't be any problem."