Mariano Andujar insists Napoli are ‘absolutely not’ thinking of the Europa League final ahead of the tie with Dnipro.
The Ukrainian side are considered by many to be the weakest team left in the draw, with the Partenopei thought of as fortunate to have drawn them.
“Are we thinking ahead to the final? Absolutely not,” Andujar told journalists in the Press conference ahead of the first leg at San Paolo.
Mariano Andujar insists Napoli are ‘absolutely not’ thinking of the Europa League final ahead of the tie with Dnipro.
The Ukrainian side are considered by many to be the weakest team left in the draw, with the Partenopei thought of as fortunate to have drawn them.
“Are we thinking ahead to the final? Absolutely not,” Andujar told journalists in the Press conference ahead of the first leg at San Paolo.
“We know it will be a difficult challenge, and we remain fully focused on Dnipro. The semi-final is important for the city and for all of us, and we want to do our best.
“We’re excited to get onto the pitch, the first 90 minutes are important, but we’ve played a lot of games like this.
“Dnipro will come here to close the game down, and it will be difficult to score.
“We must not hurry, we have to try and play our game, without letting our opponents dictate the pace. We’re just thinking about this game tomorrow, then we’ll see what happens.”
Winning the Europa League would grant Rafa Benitez’s side access to the Champions League next year, but Andujar believes they can qualify through League position.
“Everything is dependent on us. We have to make sure that we don’t make certain mistakes, and if we win them all we can make it [to third place].”