Cazorla: 'We must keep momentum in Europa League'

The last two managers to take a side to Ibrox have been sacked either immediately prior or immediately after the match in Glasgow.

Now, with Villarreal also struggling, and their boss somewhat feeling the heat in recent weeks; it had seemed that Javier Calleja would make up the hat-trick of managerial casualties after the next Europa League tie.

However, in spite of the 'yellow submarine' occupying the lower reaches of the La Liga table at the start of the current campaign, a win over high flying Real Betis this week could provide the catalyst for an almighty upturn in fortunes.

The 2-1 home win at La Ceramica insured that the team moved three points clear of the drop zone, before they turned their attentions to their European trip to Scotland this Tuesday.

Going into the penultimate match day of the group stage of the competition, all four sides in Group G can still qualify through to the knockout stages. Therefore the trip to Glasgow is a must win match for Calleja's side.

Yet the side's star man, Santi Cazorla, has said that he believes that the team have nothing to fear from Gerrard's Rangers side when they face off this week.

Cazorla told the assembled media: "We hope that this victory (against Betis) will be a turning point for our season. We just had to beat them. There could be no more excuses. And I think for almost the first time this season, certainly in the league, we played a complete match for 90 minutes."

He continued: "I  felt we approached our best form and the important thing now is to keep the momentum going with a win in Glasgow. We have set our standards and we have to keep them up in the Europa League now."

A win for Villarreal, coupled with a win for Spartak Moscow at home to Rapid Vienna, could see Rangers fall out of the competition completely.

Cazorla's teammate Gerard Moreno is also confident of his side's chances; and he is certain that he will be the man to provide the crucial goals to seal their progression.

After breaking his La Liga goal duck against Betis, Moreno is sure that he is the right man to lead the line for Villarreal, when they travel to Scotland on Thursday. 

He told the press: "When a striker does not score, it eats up inside his head. You become too eager to score. Now that I have finally scored again I can relax. The whole club needed that win. The players, coaching staff and fans.

Moreno concluded: "But as soon as the final whistle sounded, I turned my attention to Glasgow and what will be a very difficult game against Rangers. We have a chance to take a huge step towards qualification on Thursday if we can win in Glasgow. And if we play like we did against Betis, we are capable of getting the right result in Scotland."