Jurgen Klopp side were paired with the Primeira Liga outfit in the quarter-finals in a draw that definitely bodes well for their quest of a major trophy this season. Liverpool are going to have to find the right balance to juggle their Premier League title challenge and European duties in the coming months as they prepare for the run-in. The German has claimed that neither him or his players will be taking their position of serious strength for granted though. “We are very ambitious. We will try everything. It's at Anfield, it's a quarter-final, it's a big one for us," he said after his side beat Southampton 3-1 on Friday night. "This is our second year in the Champions League, not year number 12 or whatever. "We are not Real Madrid who have won it the last three times. We like the competition and we will try everything to win the game.” Liverpool welcome Porto on Anfield on Tuesday night and will look to make the home advantage count before travelling to the Estadio do Dragao. The stadium brings back great memories for the Reds squad, after they won the first leg of their last 16 meeting 5-0 there on Valentine’s Day in 2018. While Klopp will be keen to get the message on board to his squad that the result has little relevance, Portuguese analyst Tiago Estevao believes it will be playing on the minds of Porto. When asked whether last year’s meetings will have an affect on the ties, he told Express Sport: “Having in account that Porto didn’t switch managers or their approach to much over the course of the last year or so, I believe last season’s face-off will be impact this one. “Porto tend to press high well in Portugal, but also don’t mind defending slightly deeper and being a threat on the counter, having forwards who like to attack the space in behind – this approach tends to appear in the Champions League more often that not. “That combined with Liverpool’s vulnerability to direct football meant I was hopeful about last year’s game, but Porto ended up approaching the home game with a much higher defensive line than I expected and were done by Liverpool’s transition. “This season Liverpool have turned down their press slightly and are a lot more balanced in every moment than they were a year ago, which makes things harder for Porto. “That said, it’ll be interesting to see how Sergio Conceiçao lines up his side for the game – I suspect they’ll go for a deeper back-line, counter-attacking heavy approach due to last years’ experience and due to the first game being away from home.” Porto were unbeaten in this season’s group stages which suggests they have improved in Europe since last season. The only time we will truly find out, is when the sides lock horns on Merseyside in midweek.
Jurgen Klopp side were paired with the Primeira Liga outfit in the quarter-finals in a draw that definitely bodes well for their quest of a major trophy this season. Liverpool are going to have to find the right balance to juggle their Premier League title challenge and European duties in the coming months as they prepare for the run-in. The German has claimed that neither him or his players will be taking their position of serious strength for granted though. “We are very ambitious. We will try everything. It's at Anfield, it's a quarter-final, it's a big one for us," he said after his side beat Southampton 3-1 on Friday night. "This is our second year in the Champions League, not year number 12 or whatever. "We are not Real Madrid who have won it the last three times. We like the competition and we will try everything to win the game.” Liverpool welcome Porto on Anfield on Tuesday night and will look to make the home advantage count before travelling to the Estadio do Dragao. The stadium brings back great memories for the Reds squad, after they won the first leg of their last 16 meeting 5-0 there on Valentine’s Day in 2018. While Klopp will be keen to get the message on board to his squad that the result has little relevance, Portuguese analyst Tiago Estevao believes it will be playing on the minds of Porto. When asked whether last year’s meetings will have an affect on the ties, he told Express Sport: “Having in account that Porto didn’t switch managers or their approach to much over the course of the last year or so, I believe last season’s face-off will be impact this one. “Porto tend to press high well in Portugal, but also don’t mind defending slightly deeper and being a threat on the counter, having forwards who like to attack the space in behind – this approach tends to appear in the Champions League more often that not. “That combined with Liverpool’s vulnerability to direct football meant I was hopeful about last year’s game, but Porto ended up approaching the home game with a much higher defensive line than I expected and were done by Liverpool’s transition. “This season Liverpool have turned down their press slightly and are a lot more balanced in every moment than they were a year ago, which makes things harder for Porto. “That said, it’ll be interesting to see how Sergio Conceiçao lines up his side for the game – I suspect they’ll go for a deeper back-line, counter-attacking heavy approach due to last years’ experience and due to the first game being away from home.” Porto were unbeaten in this season’s group stages which suggests they have improved in Europe since last season. The only time we will truly find out, is when the sides lock horns on Merseyside in midweek.
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