Carlo Ancelotti laughed off Anfield’s reputation as one of Europe’s most intimidating venues by claiming Atalanta will be tougher opponents than Liverpool.
Ancelotti’s Napoli side are on the brink of qualification to the last-16 of the Champions League but must travel to Anfield, where Liverpool have not lost a European fixture since October 2014, in the final round of matches.
Jurgen Klopp’s team must win either 1-0, or by two clear goals, to guarantee passage to the knockout stages, which would be at Napoli’s expense if Paris St Germain avoid defeat against Red Star Belgrade in the other fixture.
Ancelotti has won the Champions League three times as a coach, twice with AC Milan and once with Real Madrid, and attempted to take the pressure off his players after their win over Red Star last night.
“We must go to Anfield with courage and play our game,” he said.
“Now let’s think about the Serie A game at Atalanta on Monday, which will be more difficult than Liverpool.”
Ancelotti is nobody’s fool. Having coached some of the most famous clubs in the world, including Milan, Real, Bayern and Juventus — as well as spending time at Chelsea — the 59-year-old understands the size of the challenge ahead but will not allow his players to be beaten before they start, or to lose focus on their domestic tasks.
Liverpool find themselves in a tight spot after losing 2-1 in Paris last night, when they were blown away by a powerful first-half performance from the wealthy French champions.
Neymar was in inspired form, but Klopp was disappointed with some of the home team’s antics in the second half, when they sought to slow down the game by exaggerating fouls.
“We are the fairest team in England, but tonight we looked like butchers,” said the German. “They were always down and it looked like we used elbows.”
