Liverpool will give everything to beat Manchester City in Champions League, says Jurgen Klopp
Written by News on 03/04/2018
Jurgen Klopp knows Liverpool will have to be at their very best to beat Pep Guardiola’s ‘special’ Manchester City and progress to the Champions League semi-finals.
Liverpool host Guardiola’s side in the first leg on Wednesday night and can take heart from inflicting the only league defeat upon City this season, winning 4-3 in an Anfield thriller in January.
Klopp says both sides will leave everything on the pitch over the two legs in order to take their place as England’s only representative in the last four.
“There is no easy opponent [in the quarter-finals of the Champions League],” Klopp said.
“Now we have Manchester City and they are a special team and will be a deserved champion of the Premier League.
“It’s clear that City, with the things they have and the levels they have reached this season, their confidence is at an outstandingly high level.
“That’s okay. But we’re in a good moment as well. City have a chance at Anfield because they can win wherever they go. But we can win football games as well because that’s how it goes.
“I like difficult situations. It’s about what we can do in this moment and preparing our boys in the best way possible, both mentally and physically. It’s a big opportunity and we’ll try everything to make it happen.
“They have fantastic patterns in what they do constantly. It’s clear but difficult to defend. It will be an interesting game and everything can happen.
“What I know 100 per cent is both teams need to invest everything that they have to have a chance to win, and I am happy with that.
“We beat City a few months ago. We knew before that it was possible, we know it now, it’s just unbelievably difficult to do it.
“We need to be at our best, and in a few moments against City [in January] we were.
“We know what we have to do, but it’s about doing it. It’s a big game against one of the best teams in Europe at the moment, if not the best team in Europe”
Liverpool supporters were warned last month that they face prosecution if they use pyrotechnics to greet Manchester City’s team coach as it makes its way to Anfield for Wednesday night’s encounter.
But Klopp has no issue with Liverpool fans lining the streets before the game, providing everything is above board.
“I have no clue what it is doing for the opposition but it’s great,” he added.
“It is wonderful, it shows passion and as long as it’s legal, I am completely fine with it. I am not the guy who organises it but it’s the welcome for my team. It’s brilliant.”
Left-back Andy Robertson hopes the team can make full use of Liverpool’s 12th man on what he hopes will be another famous European night at Anfield.
He said: “Everyone knows Liverpool fans take to the Champions League very well.
“Premier League, week-in-week-out, they are brilliant but in the Champions League they take it up a level. Hopefully we can use it to our advantage.”
(c) Sky News 2018: Liverpool will give everything to beat Manchester City in Champions League, says Jurgen Klopp
