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Rafael Benitez urges Liverpool to ignore upcoming Manchester United clash and focus on Lille
Spaniard wants to see his side progress in the Europa League...
17 Mar 2010 15:23:00
By Alex Dimond
Rafael Benitez has called for his Liverpool side to focus on the challenge facing them against Lille on Thursday, rather than be distracted by the forthcoming league clash against Manchester United.
After seeing his side defeat Portsmouth 4-1 on Monday, Benitez wants his players to maintain that same level of performance against the French side as they look to overcome a 1-0 first leg deficit, before they think about the trip to Old Trafford on Sunday.
"Now we have two important games. We have to concentrate on the first one [against Lille]," Benitez said on Wednesday.
"After that we will think about Man United but we cannot have an eye on the second one in case we make a mistake in this one.
"We will try to win because we want to progress in the Europa League and after that we will try to beat Manchester United."
Benitez believes the performance against Pompey on Monday has come at the right time for his side, and believes it will give them the belief to challenge for the Europa League - their only remaining chance at silverware.
"It will be positive to keep winning games, for the confidence of the players, but it's also an opportunity to win something," he said.
"We will try to do our best and we know we need to win to progress.
"I think they have quality, they also have some confidence now. The main thing is we will play at Anfield and we know what that means. We will have the fans behind us, so hopefully we will do our job properly and we can play well."
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After seeing his side defeat Portsmouth 4-1 on Monday, Benitez wants his players to maintain that same level of performance against the French side as they look to overcome a 1-0 first leg deficit, before they think about the trip to Old Trafford on Sunday.
"Now we have two important games. We have to concentrate on the first one [against Lille]," Benitez said on Wednesday.
"After that we will think about Man United but we cannot have an eye on the second one in case we make a mistake in this one.
"We will try to win because we want to progress in the Europa League and after that we will try to beat Manchester United."
Benitez believes the performance against Pompey on Monday has come at the right time for his side, and believes it will give them the belief to challenge for the Europa League - their only remaining chance at silverware.
"It will be positive to keep winning games, for the confidence of the players, but it's also an opportunity to win something," he said.
"We will try to do our best and we know we need to win to progress.
"I think they have quality, they also have some confidence now. The main thing is we will play at Anfield and we know what that means. We will have the fans behind us, so hopefully we will do our job properly and we can play well."
Become a fan of Goal.com UK's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
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