Livorno vs Napoli preview - Rinaudo wants Livorno riposte

Posted Saturday, March 01, 2014 by PA

Livorno defender Leandro Rinaudo has urged his team-mates to recover the points they lost in sloppy fashion to Hellas Verona last time out when Napoli visit the Stadio Armando Picchi on Sunday.

The Amaranto were targeting the second straight Serie A victory that would have taken them out of the bottom three but high-flying Verona plundered three goals in the first half of action on the west coast.

Livorno hit back to make it 3-2 but, after falling just short of forcing the draw and taking a point, they remain mired in a relegation battle with only 13 games remaining to save themselves.

Next up are third-placed Napoli, who are riding a wave of confidence after reaching the last 16 of the Europa League at the expense of Swansea on Thursday night.

But Rinaudo is backing Livorno coach Domenico Di Carlo to outwit visiting boss Rafael Benitez, while calling on his colleagues to be both patient and aggressive in their approach.

"We made lots of mistakes last Sunday," the former Napoli player told the Corriere dello Sport. "We were careless and conceded two goals in the final stages of the first half.

"But we are fortunate enough to have a coach and staff who pay a lot of attention to detail, and we players must now work harder and be more aggressive to recover the lost points.

"Livorno have to think game by game and each match will require patience and skill if we are going to exploit our opponents' mistakes."

Gonzalo Higuain scored Napoli's second goal against Swansea but is suspended for the trip to Tuscany alongside defender Raul Albiol, but Livorno centre-back Rinaudo knows Benitez has serious strength in depth.

The 30-year-old added: "Napoli are a great team and the absence of Higuain and Albiol does not weaken them too much.

"Looking forward, we will think positive thoughts and try to stay in the running in the battle for survival."

Andrea Luci, Luca Siligardi and Cristiano Piccini are all sidelined for Livorno while goalkeeper Rafael Cabral has joined Juan Camilo Zuniga on Napoli's treatment table.

The Brazilian damaged anterior cruciate ligaments in his knee in the first game against Swansea and will soon undergo surgery.

Spaniard Toni Doblas - formerly of Real Betis and Real Zaragoza and most recently released by Azerbaijani club Khazar Lankaran - has been signed as cover for Jose Reina until the end of the season.