Coppell hoping for Barnsley-style success at ’Pool

READING manager Steve Coppell believes his side is capable of emulating Barnsley at Liverpool today.

The Royals are fighting to avoid relegation from the Barclays Premier League and have been boosted by back-to-back wins over Middlesbrough and Manchester City that lifted them out of the bottom three following eight straight losses.

Coppell took the players away for a four-day training camp in Spain to prepare for the Anfield clash and the squad watched Liverpool’s Champions League win over Inter Milan on TV.

Former England winger Coppell is now hoping Rafael Benitez’s squad will put in the sort of performance that allowed Coca-Cola Championship outfit Barnsley to knock them out of the FA Cup last month, rather than a repeat of that display in the San Siro.

He said: “We watched them play while we were out there.

“That was a tremendous performance and a great result to beat the champions of Italy home and away. You look at the depth of their squad and think what a powerful outfit they are.

“But they can only put 11 on the pitch at one time, which is why you still get Barnsley-type results.

“Every team in the Premier League does have a hope of beating the elite teams and that could be a factor towards the end of the season.”