The Valencia football team flies to Kiev for Wednesday's UEFA cup tie on Tuesday in the middle of an institutional crisis.
Coach Unai Emery has taken his entire squad, including injured defenders Emiliano Moretti and Miguel Brito, for what promises to be a difficult last-32 tie against Dynamo Kiev.
However, with the club in dire financial trouble, it will be tough for the players to concentrate on the game.
The squad is still owed around 15 million euros in unpaid wages, while progress on Valencia's new ground is in danger of being stopped due to unpaid bills and the club owes over 10 million euros in unpaid taxes.
Club President Vicente Soriano is also under pressure to leave his post and with Valencia having taken just eight points from 21 in 2009, the UEFA Cup is the only chance Valencia has of winning some silverware this campaign.
Defender Raul Albiol assured that he and his team-mates would not let the crisis affect them on their trip to the Ukraine.
"Neither I nor my team-mates are worried. All we have to do now is do our job in the middle of the pitch. All of us have to support the President. We need to be patient and wait for the club to solve things," he said in declarations published on the club website.
Valencia will be hoping strike trio of Juan Mata, David Silva and David Villa will be able to score the goals against a team that was knocked out of the group stage of the Champions League.
"Teams who go into the UEFA Cup from the Champions League are always difficult. It is going to be very tough and the cold will also be an added difficulty," added Albiol.
(Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2009)
