Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has vowed “there will be fire” when the Merseyside club faces Manchester City in Wednesday’s Champions League showdown, saying his team, at their best, are capable of defying the odds to reach the semi-finals.
City visit Anfield in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, resuming a rivalry which has seen 12 goals scored in the last two meetings between the teams.
“If I had the choice to watch a Champions League game on Wednesday I would watch this one,” Klopp told reporters.
“I think it is about tactics but there will be fire in the game, so that’s cool. And it’s at Anfield anyway, so a good atmosphere to watch.”
Liverpool suffered a 5-0 league defeat at the Etihad Stadium in September after forward Sadio Mane was sent off but exacted their revenge with a 4-3 win at Anfield in January, which remains City’s only Premier League defeat of the season.
Despite the defeat, Pep Guardiola’s side remain 16 points clear at the top of the standings and Klopp accepts it will be difficult to knock City out over two legs in Europe.
“Did we think before the first game we would lose 5-0? No. Did we think before the second we would win 4-3? No. But do we know we have a chance? Yes,” he added.
“Actually that was clear before but they are the favourites. We should finish the game with 11 first of all, that would be cool. We know it’s difficult.
“At specific moments we are on a similar level but they have been much more consistent and that’s why they are higher in the league. We see our chance but we know it will be unbelievably difficult.”
Both teams warmed up for the tie with away league wins over the weekend as Liverpool cemented their third-place position in the table with a 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace, while City eased to a 3-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan meanwhile believes they are better prepared to cope with Liverpool’s attacking trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who have combined to score 75 goals in all competitions this season.
“There’s a lot of respect, because all three have scored plenty of goals and they’ve also set up many more,” Gundogan told British media.
“Liverpool are still the only team that’s been capable of beating us in the Premier League. But we’re aware why this happened, although we performed pretty well that day.
“Obviously, going back to Anfield for the first-leg game is a great motivation for us.
“We’d like to get a great result in the first leg and then dominate the game in the second leg, in front of our fans. That’s what we want to do and, if we achieve that, then I’m sure we’ll make it into the next round.”
Gundogan spent four years playing under Klopp who managed Borussia Dortmund before moving to England.
It was a period with the German club winning the Bundesliga title, German Cup as well as reaching the 2013 Champions League final.
“Jurgen is a terrific coach and he’s capable of motivating his team ahead of every game,” Gundogan added.
“And he’s proving all that again with Liverpool – their attack is incredibly strong. So they aren’t an easy team to beat but we need to do so.”