Pina keen to keep momentum going

Posted Friday, April 19, 2013 by PA

Real Mallorca midfielder Tomas Pina wants to continue the momentum gained in the vital last-minute win over relegation rivals Celta Vigo when his side face Rayo Vallecano at Estadio Son Moix.

Giovani Dos Santos bundled the ball past goalkeeper Javi Varas in the 93rd minute to lift Mallorca from the foot of the Primera Division and leave them one point from safety with seven games remaining.

Pina now hopes to back up that win with victory over Rayo, who are well away from the survival battle and sitting comfortably in mid-table, and revealed the win has given Mallorca a new belief.

"From week to week your whole perspective that you have made changes. Now we have another game in three days and the horizon looks different," Pina told Marca.

"Rayo are going to demand a lot from us and we have to be at our best. We expect a brave, daring, team with people of great quality and that is fast.

"We believe that they will not come to bring a game like Celta did. They will leave more spaces, they will go far to attack, and maybe that can benefit us."

Rayo will be looking to put last weekend's 2-0 home defeat to Real Sociedad behind them and defensive midfielder Javi Fuego believes they can finish the season strongly.

Fuego said: "After the defeat, the last game against Real Sociedad, the good thing about this week is that we are just around the corner for the Mallorca match on Friday.

"We're going to try to get three points that will put us in an even better situation.

"We are in a good situation. The team is responding very well and there are still many good things to come this season."