Burley urges players to be focused

George Burley has urged his players to keep their focus on tomorrow’s match at Anfield - and let matters elsewhere resolve themselves.

To stay up Ipswich need to beat Liverpool on their own patch for a third successive time and hope Derby - already relegated and with nothing to play for - can defeat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Unless that unlikely double comes off, the Suffolk club will emulate Newcastle’s ignominious feat of 24 years ago and drop from the top flight in the same season as competing in Europe.

But Town boss Burley rallied: ‘‘It is simple. We have to be totally focused on trying to get a win. If we don’t win, no matter what else happens, we will get relegated.

‘‘Everybody has written us off. I noticed that Liverpool are even saying they have finished second, but we have done well when we have been written off before.

‘‘Of course, Sunderland have got to be favourites but the last game of the season is certainly nervy and so we have to go and try and do our things right at Anfield.

‘‘We have got to try and do the same as the last two occasions I have been there as a manager.’’

Town won 1-0 at Anfield last season thanks to Marcus Stewart’s stunning goal and also triumphed in 1994-95, during Burley’s first season in charge.

They dropped out of the Premiership that year and face the same prospect again.

But, in the wake of the first European campaign to be waged at Portman Road for two decades, Burley said: ‘‘There is no doubt it will be a big disappointment if we do go down.

‘‘What we have achieved in the last few years has been tremendous and hopefully we will learn from our mistakes.

‘‘There is still a great belief, no matter what division we are in, that we can be a success next season.

‘‘For now we have to try and finish on a higher note and see what happens.’’

Meanwhile, it appears the futures of both record £4.8m (€7.7m) signing Matteo Sereni and former European Cup winner Finidi George lie elsewhere next season.

Parma general manager Arrigo Sacchi has expressed his interest publicly over Sereni, who has played for Italy at Under-21 level, while Lazio is another possible destination.

Sereni played alongside newly-appointed Lazio manager Roberto Mancini at Sampdoria and the pair are good friends.

Mancini, in fact, attempted to lure the goalkeeper to Fiorentina last summer but his Genoese club were not keen on selling to a fellow Italian team.

Nigerian winger George has failed to make an impact in English football and could be on his way out of Portman Road just nine months after his £3.1m (€4.95m) capture from Real Mallorca.

One bright spot for the Blues, however, is the return from a groin injury of player of the year Mark Venus.

And fellow defender John McGreal and midfielder Tommy Miller have recovered from viruses to travel to Merseyside.