Rafa calls for Euro focus

RAFA BENITEZ today urged his players to maintain a clear focus as he attempts to mastermind Liverpool’s latest Champions League miracle.

The Reds must take three points off Debrecen here in Budapest tonight and hope Fiorentina fail to beat Lyon to stand any chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.
 
Benitez will have Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson available after injury worries, while Yossi Benayoun is pressing to start after scoring in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City.
 
For many, however, the main action will be taking place 456 miles away in Florence but Benitez does not fear Liverpool will be the victims of any skulduggery.
 
With Lyon pressing to win Group E, he expects the French side to go all out for victory in Italy and wants the Reds to make sure they put themselves in a position to capitalise. Lyon are professionals and they will try to win," said Benitez.
 
"All we can do at this moment is concentrate on our game and make sure what we need to do.
 
"The most important thing for us is to beat Debrecen. Nothing else matters.
 
"We can't think about what is going on anywhere else, as we can't change it.
 
"I still think we can qualify, of course we can. We just have to make sure we get on with our job, win and keep our full concentration. 
 
"We will then see what happens. It would be great for us if Lyon win but it is out of our hands. We must look after ourselves before we think about anything else."
 
The Reds, of course, have extricated themselves from bleak spots before in this tournament and Benitez has not ruled out a third great escape to follow 2004 and 2007.
 
Yet if that is to happen, there can be no repeat of the poor defending that has proven so costly so far against Debrecen.
 
"It will be difficult to get through," the manager admitted. "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.
 
"If we can play against Fiorentina with options to get through, then it would be fantastic for us.
 
"It won't be easy. They will try to impress and do well and try to win. There are no easy games in Europe. We know they can score goals but they have conceded a lot.
 
"We feel we can do well in defence but we know we have to score goals if we want to win. For us, how we approach the game is the same as all the other games.
 
"We are just thinking about winning. We have to win and not think about anything else."
 
Alberto Aquilani played a full part in training again last night but the Italian midfielder is unlikely to be risked from the start.
 
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