Riise: Win will put one foot in knockout stages
Oct 19 2005
By Ian Doyle In Brussels, Daily Post
JOHN ARNE RIISE has urged his Liverpool team-mates to defuse the Champions League threat of Anderlecht tonight and put one foot into the knockout stages.
The European champions continue their defence of the trophy with a Group G visit to Brussels, their first competitive match in Belgium since the Heysel Stadium tragedy 20 years ago.
After a win over Real Betis and a goalless draw against Chelsea, victory for Liverpool would give them seven points and leave them requiring only one win from their last three games to effectively ensure progress to the next stage.
Anderlecht, who currently lead their domestic league, are on a record run that has seen them lose their last nine games in the Champions League. And Riise said: "We know if we win then Anderlecht will struggle to catch us.
"They have to win to have a chance and it will be a very difficult game for us. Both teams have a lot to play for.
"We want to win to stay at the top of the table and put at least one team out.
"Obviously, they are going to need to score to win and we have proved that we are very strong defensively, and the longer it is goalless it will open the game up for us. We know that we have to exploit the gaps.
"We had a good game against Betis and Chelsea and if we play as well as we can, we have a good chance of getting three points.
"We know they have lost a few games on the spin in the Champions League and they want to put that right. We are aware of what they will come at us with."
Riise, who could start this evening's game having impressed as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers, has seen his opportunities limited in comparison to last season.
But the Norway international insisted: "Last season we had some injuries on the left side which meant that I played nearly all the games. This season we have bought Zenden and Stephen Warnock has come on well, so we have been able to make changes.
"You cannot play 50-60 games now in a season so if I play 35-40 games this season it will not be a problem to me. The manager wants to rest players and keep them fresh. He has a lot of players to choose from now.
"If you are not playing, that does not necessarily mean that you have been playing badly."
Rafael Benitez believes the pressure will be on Anderlecht to keep their Champions League hopes alive and hopes his team can exploit the Belgians need to attack.
"They have good players with talent and pace," said the Liverpool manager. "They aren't winning as many games because they are a very offensive team and they are always on the attack.
"We need to do a job and to play as a team and create opportunities.
"We do not think about needing to win. Three points would give us an advantage but we are not under pressure."
Benitez is likely to rest Peter Crouch and hand Fernando Morientes a start at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, possibly alongside Djibril Cisse in attack.
* BLACKBURN defender Zurab Kizanishvili has won his FA disciplinary commission appeal against his red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity against Liverpool on Saturday
