Coutinho: Reds must maintain momentum in Russia
Philippe Coutinho has stressed the importance of maintaining momentum as Liverpool take on Rubin Kazan in the Europa League tonight.
The Reds have journeyed to Russia on the back of successive victories over Bournemouth and Chelsea – and the No.10 is targeting another three points as Jürgen Klopp’s side aim to bolster their prospects of qualification from Group B.
Coutinho told Liverpoolfc.com: “It’s very important. We know we need to win. Our objective is to qualify and to fight to the end.
“It’s a big game and we’ve been working this week to prepare well for the match.
“[Momentum is] very important for the growth of the team and for our objectives.
“Battling it out with the top teams in the league, playing in the competitions we’re in. For us as a team, it’s very important we try to maintain our momentum.
“We can see our confidence is increasing every day. Every day the things the manager asks us to do come more naturally to us and I hope the team can play well again in Russia.”
Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Kazan at Anfield last month and Coutinho knows they’ll provide another stern test, particularly on home soil.
He added: “Every team is difficult to play against - all teams have good players, all matches are very intense, so we consider this a very difficult game.
“But we need to be focused and do what the manager asks us to this week so we can be successful on the pitch.”