González banking on home help

UE Sant Julià coach Patricio González is hoping his side can make home advantage count as they welcome SP Tre Fiori in their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round decider tonight.

Home help
Sant Julià were heading for an away victory in last week's first leg in San Marino before Matteo Andreini struck in the 75th minute to give Tre Fiori a 1-1 draw to take with them to Andorra. Despite that late setback, González is confident his charges will finish the job this evening. "It is still very open but what's clear for us is that we must take advantage of playing at home," he said. "I'm convinced we can get through because we showed we were the more ambitious of the two teams."

Improvement required
A tie against Bulgaria's PFC Levski Sofia is the prize for the winners and González has demanded his team improve to ensure progress is achieved, adding: "In that first game we were missing a bit of poise. We should have been more patient in order to try and find more creativity in our attacking play." Keeping eleven men of the pitch would also enhance Sant Juliá’s chances, with González saying the sending-off of central defender Vicente Muñoz on the hour "played a big part" in losing the lead.

First goal key
The Andorran outfit know a goalless draw will send them through, not that González thinks this will change the mindset of their opponents. "I don't expect them to play much differently this week. They will allow us possession and will look to shut up shop in defence but if the game remains scoreless they will have to look to take a risk at some stage. They will wait for us to make a mistake. If we score first, though, we'll have taken a huge step towards qualification."