Ron Rivera: 'Pressure is on San Francisco 49ers'

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has claimed that the pressure is on the San Francisco 49ers going into Sunday's playoff clash between the two sides.

The Panthers have been made early underdogs for the encounter despite winning 11 of their last 12 matches, including a 10-9 victory over the 49ers at Candlestick Park back in November.

"Being the underdog I guess takes pressure off [us] and puts pressure on them. Now they have expectations for them. But we're at home. We're going to come out, show up and do the best we can," Rivera told reporters.

"It's a big week. We know it is. We're going to show up on Sunday and we're going to play. It'll be a lot of fun."

The winner of Sunday's match will face either the New Orleans Saints or the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game on January 19.