Having already knocked out Villarreal and Real Racing Club in this years Copa del Rey, Mirandés, are bow looking to knockoff another of La Liga’s big names, Espanyol, in the quarter-finals.
The Spanish third division side are currently enjoying the experience of a lifetime – playing and beating the elite.
“We’ve got nothing to lose and we’re going to continue enjoying every minute,” coach Carlos Pouso told UEFA.com.
Ahead of Tuesday’s visit to the Estadio Cornellá-El Prat in Barcelona, where they will face Espanyol in their quarter-final first leg, Pouso insists his side are though to the last eight on merit.
“Our team believes in a strong work ethic and understands its strengths, so what we have achieved till now has not been a matter of luck,” he said. “Beating Villarreal and Racing was no miracle. Nobody has gifted us anything. We know that Espanyol are favourites and that they are better than us in every department,” added the 51-year-old. “However, there are two games to play and should we play our part very well we might have a chance. The way we see it, things could have been trickier against a lower-ranked side whereas against Espanyol we will not be short of motivation.”
As well as their cup exploits, Mirandés also lead their division – Grupo 2 of Segunda B – in what is becoming a remarkable campaign. As Pouso puts it:
“In Miranda football is treated as a party. The supporters turn up to enjoy themselves and there’s no negativity with them – it’s really impressive and you have to applaud them for their attitude.”