With his side trailing 3-1 ahead of their Champions League second leg, Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri has shifted all of the pressure on to opponents Real Madrid.
Despite an early goal in the Spanish capital from Lorenzo Insigne, the Partenopei ultimately fell to a 3-1 loss against the reigning champions.
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However, given the expectation on Real to qualify and go on and retain that title from their fan base, Sarri believes that they will be feeling the heat much more than his own players.
“The pressure is all on them,” Sarri stated firmly when addressing the assembled media. “They are the holders and they have much greater financial power than ourselves and are also the world champions.
“However, the fans will be our world champions on Tuesday. It is almost impossible for us because they have scored in 46 consecutive games and we know that it will be difficult to stop them.”
However, as pessimistic as he may have been about keeping a clean sheet, Sarri did claim that his side do still have a chance – albeit a very small mathematical one.
“They have technical quality but they are also a physically impressive side,” he noted. “The most important aspect for us is in defence. We will need to show great focus and work extremely hard.
“It will require a lot of sacrifice from us, both in individual battles and as a unit. If we have a three percent chance, then we still have a chance and we will play looking to win.”
