SOCCER UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, GROUP E: Debrecen v LiverpoolRAFAEL BENITEZ has conceded Liverpool must emulate their finest achievement in the Champions League group stage to avoid elimination in Hungary tonight as he rejected the theory he could fall victim to a conspiracy in Florence.
A Liverpool victory at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium over Debrecen, the Hungarian champions, will prove futile in attempts to secure a sixth successive passage to the knockout phase should Fiorentina beat Lyon at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Liverpool need a Lyon result in Italy to retain interest in the competition, and avoid a costly elimination to the Europa League, but Benitez does not believe Claude Puel’s team will tread lightly in Florence with the aim of reducing the number of Premier League opponents in the latter stages.
“I don’t think that Lyon will want to see Fiorentina qualify before us. I think they will want to finish at the top of the group,” said the Liverpool manager, who is without the injured Fernando Torres in Budapest but saw Glen Johnson, who missed Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City with a calf strain, train last night.
“I think they are good professionals. When you qualify first it can be an advantage in terms of which team you draw, but also for the confidence of the team. I think Lyon will try to win. They have quality, they play good counterattack football so we will see.”
Benitez was equally unperturbed at the prospect of Lyon, who qualified for the knockout phase with a last-minute equaliser against Liverpool at Stade Gerland, fielding a weakened team in their penultimate group fixture.
“Puel will try to win and finish top because it would be good for him, for his players and for his club,” he added. “It is good news for his club, it will mean more money, and I am confident they will try to do it.”
With qualification beyond Liverpool’s control, however, the first time that has occurred under Benitez, the Spaniard admits it will require a feat comparable with 2007-08 to avoid an early exit. Then, Liverpool needed three wins from their final three group games to qualify and delivered, registering a remarkable 16 goals in the defeats of Porto, Besiktas and Marseille in the process.
Benitez said: “It will be difficult to get through. I have said before that it will be a miracle if we do, but it depends on the other teams and if we do our job. We have to win and see what happens in the other games. If we can play against Fiorentina at Anfield with a chance to get through then it would be fantastic. The last time we qualified was amazing and it will be the same if we can do it again. The last time we had to win three games and we did it in a good way. If we do it now it will be more or less the same achievement.”
With the notable exception of Torres Liverpool, who also left Albert Riera on Merseyside to recover from a hamstring tear, should be closer to full strength in Hungary with Johnson available and Daniel Agger fit despite suffering a head wound that required five stitches against City. Alberto Aquilani, the €22 million summer signing who is yet to start for Liverpool, is also in contention although Benitez is likely to retain Lucas Leiva and Javier Mascherano in central midfield.
“Aquilani is in the squad and so he can play,” said Benitez. “But it depends. The team has players in this position, [Steven] Gerrard is coming back and the two central midfielders are doing well. We want to play him as soon as possible but we want to manage with the squad. Johnson and Agger will be fit. We have brought them here because we think they can play. We will decide after the training session. It’s really important for us to have players coming back from injury, it can give us more options in every game.”
GuardianService
