Depleted Spartak must play Liverpool without fear – coach

MOSCOW – 25 September 2017 – Injury-hit Spartak Moscow must play without fear in their Champions League match against Liverpool on Tuesday, manager Massimo Carrera said.

The Russian champions face a confident Liverpool in their second Group E match in Moscow, with the English side coming off a 3-2 Premier League win at Leicester City.

Spartak will be without Dutch striker Quincy Promes who sustained a calf injury in the 2-0 win over Kuban Krasnodar in the Russian Cup last week.

The hosts will also miss captain Denis Glushakov, striker Ze Luis and midfielder Jano Ananidze due to injuries.

"We will have 11 players on the pitch, others will go in, and we will play our game," Carrera told a news conference on Monday.

"We know that we are playing a strong team with quality players. Our job is to play our game without fear."

Spartak won their first Russian Premier League title in 16 years last season but have made mediocre start to this campaign, lying seventh in the standings with three wins from 11 matches.

The club last week avoided the possibility of playing Liverpool behind closed doors after UEFA fined them 60,000 euros ($71,000 and imposed a ticket ban for their next away match in European competition over a flare incident during the 1-1 draw against Slovenia's Maribor this month.

Spartak called on fans to refrain from such behaviour during their match against Liverpool who drew their opening group match 2-2 at home to Sevilla.

"The use of flares during the next match can lead to much more serious sanctions for Spartak, including hosting Champions League home matches behind closed doors," they said in a statement.