Oliveira awaits judgement day

Missed chances
The Primera División team travel to Monaco with a 1-0 lead thanks to a 92nd-minute strike from Edu a fortnight ago in Seville. But the winning margin should have been greater, as the hosts squandered a series of clear-cut chances throughout the first-leg tie. Oliveira, Betis's 22-goal top scorer last term, was forced out of the match after injuring himself in the warm-up, but thankfully for coach Llorenc Serra Ferrer, the Brazilian international is fit to return to the starting lineup for the decider.

Modest striker
However, the former Valencia CF man prefers to downplay his possible role in proceedings. "Some people say that if I had played we would have won by a bigger margin, but it is difficult for me to agree," he told uefa.com. "My team-mates did their best in the first leg and although we missed some good chances we still hold a lead and that's the most important thing." Betis's preparations for the trip to the principality were boosted by a 2-1 win at FC Barcelona in Saturday's second leg of the Spanish Super Cup. The victory was not enough to overturn Barça's 3-0 first-leg advantage, but it lifted confidence levels ahead of the tie at Stade Louis II.

Massive opportunity
Last season's superb fourth-place finish in Spain has given the Seville-based club a first opportunity to play in the Champions League, and Oliveira is all too aware that those heroics will count for nothing if Betis are eliminated before the group stage. "If we lose, everything we did last season, finishing fourth in the league, will have been for nothing," the 25-year-old said. "We have this historic chance to put Betis in the Champions League for the first time. It is a dream for the club and for the city, and that is why we are approaching this match as a real battle.

Speedy Betis
"We must play with the first-leg result in mind," he added. "We need to play calmly and intelligently. Monaco will have to take a chance or two, but we are a very quick side and we have to use that speed to create chances on the counterattack. If we score, we know it will be really hard for Monaco." Since missing the first leg, Oliveira's Betis future has been questioned after the one-time Santos FC and Associação Portuguesa de Desportos striker threatened to quit in a contractual dispute. However, after talks with president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, he has reiterated his commitment to the cause.

Happy again
"I played the whole of last season with an injured ankle. I played with flu, cold, after 12 hours in a plane, so I think the real supporters will recognise that I give my life to this club," he said. "I have always been a professional and have never caused any problem for the club. I did not ask for more money. It is just that there was a problem with my contract and it was vital to correct that situation. Everything is fine now." Which bodes well for Betis.