VALENCIA, SPAIN -- Valencia striker Alvaro Negredo says that beating teams like Real Madrid is the best way to pull Los Che back to the top of the pile in Spanish football.
The former Manchester City striker is one of the big signings of the Peter Lim era at the Mestalla (a loan from Manchester City will become permanent this summer), and following tonight's 2-1 win over Los Blancos, he let his ambitions be known.
"I'm here to win big games and fight for important things. This team wants to be back in the Champions League. There's no better way of doing that than beating a team like Real Madrid and, above all, ending an incredible 22-game winning streak like theirs."
Tonight's result, combined with a 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid in October, means that Valencia have now defeated both the La Liga holders and the Champions League holders at the Mestalla this season. A packed crowd watched both games, and Negredo thinks the stadium will play a key part in the club's revival.
"At the moment we're on a very positive curve. We're working very hard, doing things well, and if we want to be up there at the top come the end of the season, that's the way to get there. We need to win against every team possible and make the Mestalla a real fortress. We're managing to do that."