Malaga are the favourites - Venables

Leeds boss Terry Venables has stoked up the psychological fires in a bid to take the heat off his under-performing players tonight.

The Yorkshire club’s recent European pedigree, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League 18 months ago, ensured they started this season’s UEFA Cup competition as favourites.

Aside from the 4-1 romp over Hapoel Tel-Aviv two weeks ago, it is a mantle they have not worn particularly well, and in respect of their current Barclaycard Premiership form, Venables has been quick to play down his side’s chances of further continental success.

Leeds are a club in crisis as they head into their third round first-leg tie in Malaga on the back of a miserable run of just one win in their last nine league games, and with almost an entire team left back home in Yorkshire.

Although this is the Costa del Sol side’s debut European venture, they have so far acquitted themselves well for they are unbeaten in their 10 ties to date, qualifying via the Intertoto Cup.

Seven wins and three draws, including four victories and a draw at the Estadio La Rosaleda, have led them to this stage and a game against a Leeds team guided by an under-pressure Venables, who has chosen to play tactical mind games with the opposition.

“They are favourites, no doubt about that, and so I think it will be difficult for us,” said Venables, back in the country where he became known as ‘El Tel’ following his three-year association with Barcelona in the mid-1980s.

“They may be without (Uruguay international) Dario Silva, who is a very good player, but we’ve a few players out of our own, so we’ve some problems.

“You also have to respect their position in La Liga [ninth], so any Leeds supporters expecting an easy game for us are mistaken.

“They are above some very strong teams, including many household names - Barcelona for example – so make no mistake, they are a good side. I have a great deal of respect for them.

“Although La Liga and the Premiership are very close, it’s fair to say, looking at results we have seen in Europe in recent years the Spanish league may now be above our own.

“So although I’m happy to be back in Spain, because it’s like a second home to me, and Malaga is a nice place to come, it’s not necessarily a nice team to play against because they are doing well in what I would say is the strongest league in Europe.”

Leeds’ record in Spain is also abysmal for they suffered four consecutive defeats on Spanish soil during their Champions League run, losing by a combined aggregate of 12-2 to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Deportivo La Coruna and Valencia.

With Venables down to a bare-bones squad, as he will have just six on the bench rather than the seven permitted by UEFA, the odds are stacked against him at a time when he is in desperate need of a victory to ease the growing antipathy towards him.

Sidelined are Mark Viduka, Danny Mills, Dominic Matteo, Olivier Dacourt and Lucas Radebe, with Robbie Fowler and Seth Johnson still not fit after their injury problems, while Teddy Lucic and James Milner are ineligible, the latter as he is too young.

But Venables has vowed to attack, and he has every faith in the players on duty to put themselves and the club in the headlines for all the right reasons following the damaging press he has received this week.

“In truth, it’s been a bad few days, but considering that the mood is quite good and up,” added Venables, who owns a villa in Javier, situated between Alicante and Valencia.

“The boys have responded well after Sunday’s defeat (at Tottenham). They were very upset, but they have reacted in the way I would expect them to.

“We’re a group of guys who are very disappointed with the results and we want to get out there and do something about it.

“Whatever the challenge is we’ve got to face it and hit it head on and that’s what we intend to do.”