Real Valladolid vs Granada preview - Martinez does not fear the drop

Real Valladolid coach Juan Ignacio Martinez is absolutely convinced his side will be playing Primera Division football next season even though they go into this weekend's final match against relegation rivals Granada needing help from other teams to avoid the drop.

Last weekend's agonising 4-3 defeat to already-relegated Real Betis - where Valladolid led three times before falling to a stoppage-time goal - left Martinez's men second-bottom of the standings on 36 points, two adrift of 17th-placed Granada and the final position of safety.

A victory on Sunday would see Valladolid leap-frog above Granada, but they would also need favourable results from elsewhere to stay up, with Osasuna, Getafe and Almeria all also involved in the relegation dogfight.

Nevertheless, Martinez has complete faith that his side can pull off the escape, saying: "We're going to stay in the Primera.

"I'm super-convinced that we're going to do it, that we're going to save ourselves and we're counting on the support of the fans. We've already shown that we're a very reliable team at the Zorrilla."

With both teams battling to avoid the drop, Martinez admits the game is unlikely to be one stifled by tactics.

He said: "It's going to be more dramatic than tactical, bearing in mind the logical fears that you have in a situation like this. We're going to go for them from the first minute, while knowing that we cannot make any mistakes at the back."

Granada's hopes of earning a fourth successive season in the top flight have been badly hit by a poor run of form at just the wrong time.

They have picked up just four points from a possible 24 in the last few weeks and will not find it easy to break that dismal run at the Jose Zorrilla, where Valladolid have only lost three times this season - a home record only bettered by the top four sides in La Liga.

Despite that, Granada midfielder Recio insists his side will go out for the win on Sunday, saying: "We won't go looking for the draw, because when you do that you end up falling back and finish losing.

"We're going to try to win there and if we can get the first goal we know it would give us a big advantage."