Fiorentina out to impress

Fiorentina boss Cesare Prandelli has urged his team not to take their foot off the gas when they take on Liverpool FC tonight.

When the fixture schedule was drawn up for Champions League Group E, Prandelli's side may well have viewed a final match away against the five-time European champions as a major obstacle to their progress.

But the Serie A side lead the pool on 12 points and have already secured their place in the knockout phase, and arrived on Merseyside needing only to equal or better Lyon's result against Debrecen to be sure of winning the group.

Prandelli said: "We are top and we have qualified. But that is not enough.

"We still have the appetite for more success, we want to clinch top spot to give us a better chance in the draw for the last 16.

"Needing to finish top is an extra pressure for us, but it is good pressure to have.

"This is a historic moment for our club, but we still want to play well.

"We have a lot of injury problems so I do not know my side yet. I know that for Liverpool the group is over, and maybe they will field some reserves because they have a special game on Sunday against Arsenal."

Prandelli arrived on Merseyside with plenty of problems, with key players Stevan Jovetic and Juan Vargas unable to train and Massimo Gobbi sidelined having picked up a muscle injury in training on Monday.

Jovetic is the greatest concern. He returned to the side at the weekend for the win over Atalanta after a toe injury, and limped out of the match after 50 minutes with an ankle problem.

The Montenegro international scored both goals when Fiorentina beat Liverpool 2-0 in this group back in September, and he is a key weapon in Prandelli's armoury.

Prandelli added: "Our squad is good enough, but with our injuries maybe we will try to sign some players. But it is not right to talk of the transfer market just yet."

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