Napoli coach wary of 'desire'

Napoli coach wary of 'desire'

Published Dec. 14, 2010 1:16 p.m. ET

The Serie A side head into Wednesday's encounter at the Stadio San Paolo third in the pool, two points behind their second-placed visitors and knowing only a victory will keep alive their European adventure into 2011. Mazzarri knows all about Steaua from an entertaining first meeting on September 30, when Edinson Cavani equalised in the eighth minute of stoppage time as Napoli battled back from three goals down to draw 3-3. And he knows his side cannot afford to let their exuberance result in defensive mistakes. "Steaua are a great squad and we realised that in Bucharest," he said. "In Romania, we found ourselves behind in an unusual manner because of unfortunate events [an Emilson Cribari own goal], but then we managed to redress that. "They will be very motivated. We'll see if they change something tactically. We are fairly prepared for every circumstance. "We need to use our hearts and heads and not make life complicated for ourselves by making mistakes because of too much desire to overdo it. "We need a perfect game defensively in order not to run risks. When we do things well we have the ability to put anyone in difficulty. "We have to try to get a goal more than our opponents. We should never overdo it and we need attention to our nerves, tactics and psychology." Mazzarri heads into the match with doubts over striker Ezequiel Lavezzi and midfielder Jose Sosa, who are both struggling with ankle problems. On Lavezzi, the coach said: "He's not very well. We will check during Tuesday's training to see how the ankle is and if he can go on." The 3-3 draw in Bucharest was the first in Marius Lacatus' third stint at the Steaua helm, having replaced Ilie Dumitrescu four days earlier. The 46-year-old expects Wednesday's game to be another entertaining encounter and has vowed his side will not play for the point that would see them progress to the last 32. He told Radio Kiss Kiss: "We'll come to Naples to play our game. We know the strength of the blue team and the great pressure that the crowd generate at the San Paolo, but we are prepared for anything. "We are not playing for a draw - that would not be smart. "We know this game will not end 0-0. "Who I am afraid of from Napoli? I won't mention names, but the team has four or five players who can change the game at any moment."

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