Benítez: "With respect, we are here to win"

The 'azzurro' coach highlights their rival´s potential but aims to get through to the next round

27/11/2014sscnapoli.it/rafabenitez.com

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Aware of the difficulties they face against their rival, who will be playing at home with the support of their fans, Rafa Benítez is focused on achieving the victory that could see them through to the next round. He made this clear in their pre-match press conference in the Generali Arena Stadium prior to their game against Sparta Prague tomorrow, in what will be their fifth game of the UEFA Europa League group stages. The Spanish coach, knowing the importance of this game because of the vital points in play, analised tomorrow´s game: "I know Sparta very well, they are a very strong team, with great potential who are playing at home, however I think if we keep our concentration and make a maximum effort we could achieve what could be the definitive victory that could see us through to the next round".

"I know this stadium perfectly well, I had the opportunity of playing here with Chelsea not that long ago, it´s not easy for anybody to get a victory here. Despite this, we will try to achieve the best possible result and to do so we need to pay attention to their offensive phase. They are very well organised, they work hard and prepare well to make the most of their striker Lafata who has scored many goals thanks to the work carried out by their whole team".

Concerning the draw against Cagliari last Sunday in the Italian Serie A, the head coach of the Neapolitan team highlighted: "It is clear that I was upset with the final result, in my point of view we did not manage that game very well, especially the final part, and we did not secure the victory despite having had the chance on many occasions. We were missing the intensity that we had in the first half hour like we´d had in previous games. This was our main mistake. That said, I believe this team is growing in many aspects and we must look forward. Right now the most important game as I always say is the next one, in this case against Sparta Prague".

Regarding the usual subject of rotations, more necessary than ever after recent injuries including players such as Camilo Zúñiga, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens, the coach of the azzurro team said: "the truth is I have not yet decided the initial line up for tomorrow. What I can say is that De Guzmán is not one hundred percent and we will have to assess the options available to us before making a definitive decision. We are facing many consecutive games and it is very important, fundamental I would say, to make use of every single person in the squad".

When asked about Dries Mertens´ fitness and his possible absence for the game against Sampdoria next Monday, the Spanish coach replied: "I still really don´t know, he is working, little by little, we will see how he is when the time comes. Clearly if he can train with continuity there will be no problem in incorporating him back into the team and playing as normal".

"We are completely and exclusively focused on the game tomorrow, nothing more" stated Benítez, who concluded: "we are here to play and aim for a victory, with respect for our rival. We know that Sparta Prague has a great squad and a lot of motivation, they will make things very difficult for us. But we also have our strengths, we are a team with quality who can face any rival with guarantee of success, we just have to fight for it, work for it. We want to qualify for the next stage and get as far as possible in Europe".