The cake has been made, now we need the cherry - Ancelotti targets repeat at Anfield

Napoli only needs a draw to progress from Group C but Carlo Ancelotti insists his side will not be sitting back at Anfield.

Published : Dec 11, 2018 00:27 IST

Napoli head coach Carlo Ancelotti
Napoli head coach Carlo Ancelotti
lightbox-info

Napoli head coach Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti challenged Napoli to serve up a repeat of its October performance against Liverpool as it looks to clinch a place in the Champions League knockout stages on Tuesday.

The Serie A club sits on top of Group C going into the final round of fixtures and knows a draw at Anfield will be enough to see it through to the next round.

READ|  Champions League permutations: How Inter, PSG and Liverpool can progress

Yet Ancelotti insists the visitor will not be taking a defensive mindset into the clash with the Premier League leader, which sits outside the two qualification spots following a 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on November 28.

Napoli won the reverse fixture 1-0 on Italian soil, Lorenzo Insigne grabbing a late winner, and Ancelotti believes that performance offers his players a recipe for success against Jurgen Klopp's side.

READ| England defender Gomez signs new Liverpool deal

"We have done very well so far and we will have a little advantage," the Italian coach told the media. "The cake has been made, now we need the cherry.

"We know what's at stake. We need to take the final step to get through the group.

"We haven't come here to sit back but to play our own game - we are going to have to be very focused and set out to score a goal.

"I think we can draw on the first game at home, as it has given us a lot of confidence and we'd like to put in a repeat performance."

Incredible stadium

Opposite number Klopp has called for the home crowd to produce a special atmosphere, yet Ancelotti expects Napoli's travelling support to make plenty of noise.

"Everyone knows the passion of the fans, but it's great to play these games in these stadiums," he said.

"Anfield is an incredible stadium with very passionate fans. It is true that there will be many fans of Liverpool, but there will also be 3,000 Napoli fans at the stadium and 40 million around the world."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment