Carlo Ancelotti calls tomorrow’s match with Red Star “important, not decisive” for his Napoli side.
The Partenopei welcome the Serbian side in the Champions League, and can take a big step toward the Last 16 with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain meeting at the Parc des Princes.
“It’s essential to start this important match well,” Ancelotti began his Press conference by saying.
“It’s important, but not decisive, to get through the group. What will count will be intensity and application.
Carlo Ancelotti calls tomorrow’s match with Red Star “important, not decisive” for his Napoli side.
The Partenopei welcome the Serbian side in the Champions League, and can take a big step toward the Last 16 with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain meeting at the Parc des Princes.
“It’s essential to start this important match well,” Ancelotti began his Press conference by saying.
“It’s important, but not decisive, to get through the group. What will count will be intensity and application.
“Red Star have been underrated because they lost the last two away matches, but they deserved their win against Liverpool.
“I expect an organised team that will focus on the counter-attack, with a clear and defined identity.
“To win we’ll have to defend and attack well, because they won’t play right at our goal but they’re playing to qualify.
“We can’t think about the other game, we just have to focus on doing well ourselves. It won’t be a decisive game, in my opinion, there is one more to go and everything will be decided at the end.
“The objective is to get through, but I don’t think anything will be decided tomorrow. Everything will be decided at the end, because it’s all very balanced.
“This is a very important game, but I don’t think it’s decisive. It was an almost impossible group, not we need to put the icing on a well constructed cake.”
Napoli drew with Chievo last time out, and Ancelotti was asked about that disappointment.
“Criticism is normal, it's part of the job. The fact remains that my opinion hasn’t changed about this squad and how competitive it is, beyond the struggles of one match.
“We need to change our initial approach, we need to force the game and not vice-versa.”
Niko Kovac is under pressure at Bayern Munich, and Carletto was sacked by the Bavarians last season.
“I think it’s the same problems I experienced,” Ancelotti said.
“I’m always on the side of the Coaches. I hope Kovac can do the best possible, for me it wasn’t easy but I hope it will be for him.”