Moussa: Start will be key

Raring to go in tonight’s Champions League clash against Crvena zvezda, Moussa Sissoko believes we will need to be on the front foot from the outset in order to take all three points.

We come into the game off the back of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Watford in the Premier League, where we had to come from behind late on to a take point with Dele Alli cancelling out Abdoulaye Doucouré’s sixth minute opener.

The draw with the Hornets was the third game on the trot in which we have conceded within the opening 15 minutes, so Moussa feels our chances of success tonight could hinge on the opening exchanges.

A win under the lights at our new home would see us leapfrog our Serbian opponents in Group B with four points from our opening three games, but the French international is not underestimating the test we face this evening, especially against a side that has lost just three domestic league games since the start of the 2015/16 season.

“A European game is always unique because it’s so different to a league game,” our number 17 explained.

“We know that we’re going to be up against a good team in Red Star, they have their own qualities and we have to be aware of those, but the most important thing for us is how we play.

“We have to be focussed from the first minute and try not to concede an early goal because, in the last few games, we have conceded goals and especially early ones, and that makes the game more difficult, so I think the first 10 to 15 minutes will be very important and the key part of the game.

“If we don’t concede and can push for the first goal ourselves, the game will be much easier for us. We know what we have to do, and we know what we want to do. We are all positive ahead of the game and we hope it will be a great night for everyone and that we can get a result to kick start a good, long period for us.”