NO SECRET MINNOWS WILL FIGHT

KRASNODAR will have a secret weapon tonight in their battle to overcome Chelsea in the Champions League.

The Russian Premier League club’s fitness coach is Englishman John Phillips, who used to work at QPR and Southampton.

And Phillips revealed he has told Krasnodar’s players to be aggressive and not be intimidated when they take on Frank Lampard’s multi-million pound side.

Phillips, who worked at Southampton academy at the same time as players like

Gareth Bale, said: “Chelsea are the same as most English clubs – they’re going to be aggressive, the speed of the game will be high.they will want to come here and try and dominate.

“We have to fight, work hard, and not be intimidated. It’s

a lot to do with the mentality, as well as the physicality.

“The key is tthat we work hard, wewe’re aggressive, and wwe need to conconcentrate for 995-96 minutes. We can’t switch off because you’ll get punished by these teams.

Don’t give them resrespect.

“WWE have to be aggressi aggressive and take the game to them.”

Last season Krasnodar, who were only formed in 2008, knocked out Porto in the Champions League qualifying stages, but then lost to Olympiacos. In the Europa League, they did not qualify from the group stages and this is their first appearance in the Champions League group stage.

Coach Murad Musayev said: “Our club is only 12 years old, so to be playing our first home game in the Champions League against former winners is a huge event.”

Musayev missed his team’s highly creditable 1-1 draw in their opening Group E game at Rennes with illness.

He said: “It was very hard to be away from the team. But the team acted together as a unit. We got the result we wanted.”

Musayev’s injury-hit team, which has two still players ruled out with coronavirus, gave the Ligue 1 side a stern test, with Cristian Ramirez cancelling out Serhou Guirassy’s penalty.