SL Benfica vs Napoli - Benfica are ready for key Champions League game
Posted Tuesday, December 06, 2016 by PA
Benfica boss Rui Vitoria says his players are treating Tuesday's Champions League crunch match with Napoli like the final.
The teams are tied at the top of Group B but, having lost in Naples on matchday two, Benfica need to win to be certain of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Besiktas, a point behind in third, face Dynamo Kiev as they attempt to pounce on whichever team slips up.
"The players are ready, they know the importance of this game," Vitoria said at the pre-match press conference.
"We depend on ourselves and will treat this game as if it were a final.
"Judging by what we have done up until now in the section, I believe that we have something more to say in the UEFA Champions League this season.
"We very much believe we can get through, that we can get over the line. When we left Napoli we were in last place in the group and on Tuesday we will be competing to finish top of the standings.
"That said, we know are facing one of the top three teams in Italy. We know exactly what we have to do."
Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri insists his team will not be playing for a draw.
"We are not a team who can manage 90 minutes, speculating about a result in another game," Sarri said at his press conference in Lisbon.
"We are going to give everything to make it through, and we feel like we deserve it.
"This is already a game so delicate psychologically that we could damage our game by thinking of other things.
"If we think we can get through with a draw, then we run risks. If we forget that, then we can play a real game.
"If we don't want to be distracted, we've got to go out there and think about winning the group.
"One of the two teams have got to take risks and make the game less tactical.
"It's obvious that, with being practically a knockout game, the final 20 minutes could see things become a little unusual."
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