Reds prepare for Euro date with destiny
LIVERPOOL vs DEBRECEN
LIVERPOOL boss Rafael Benitez has told his players to put events in Florence out of their minds as they prepare for a make-or-break night in Hungary.
The Reds travel to Group E whipping boys Debrecen with just one win from their last 10 matches and their Champions League hopes hanging by thread.
Victory tonight against a side that have lost all four of their group games should be formality, even on current form and without injured striker Fernando Torres.
But that will not be enough to prevent an embarrassing early exit if Fiorentina beat table-topping Lyon in Italy. A Liverpool win, however, is absolutely essential for them to progress, and Benitez is anxious his team are not distracted from the only element of a nail-biting equation that they can determine.
“A lot depends on Fiorentina and Lyon, but the main thing for us is to concentrate on our game and see what happens,” said the Spaniard.
“We have to prepare our game because we don’t have any influence over the other one. If we can do our job and win, we’ll see. It will be difficult. Like I have said before, it could be a miracle.”
Provided Liverpool win, a draw in Italy would leave them needing a three-goal victory over Fiorentina in their final fixture. Three points for Lyon would mean any Reds win over the Viola would see them reach the last 16.
Benitez has steered Liverpool to some memorable European results in the past, and defensive stalwart Jamie Carragher says those memories give them belief even with the odds stacked against them.
“We always believe at this club that we can do special things,” said Carragher. “We’ve done it with this team and this manager over the last four or five years but doing things like this has been part of the club for a long time now.”
Liverpool’s attacking options have been dented further by an injury to Ryan Babel, although defenders Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger are fit.