Jurgen Klopp reacts to Liverpool FC v FC Porto quarter-final draw in Champions League
Jurgen Klopp has played down the significance of Liverpool FC’s rout of FC Porto last season after the Reds were pitted against the Portuguese club in the Champions League quarter-final on draw.
The Merseyside outfit were rewarded for their impressive 3-1 aggregate victory over Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich with a kind draw against FC Porto on Friday.
Liverpool FC managed to avoid being pitted against their Premier League rivals Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Reds also dodged European giants Ajax, FC Barcelona and Juventus to give Liverpool FC a realistic chance of securing their place in the Champions League semi-finals for the second successive season.
Liverpool FC were 5-0 winners against FC Porto in the first leg of their round of 16 clash in Portugal last term before a goalless draw between the two sides at Anfield in the return fixture.
However, Klopp was keen to play down the significance of last season’s result ahead of the first leg of their quarter-final at Anfield on Tuesday 9 April.
“What can I say?” Klopp told his media conference on Friday. “It’s Porto and we’ve played there already and we know how good we had to be last year.
“The result in the end was a strange one; it was very good for us, of course, but it was a strange one. In the second leg, we saw the character of Porto and the quality they have.
“I could not be further away from thinking it’s the best draw because it isn’t – it is just the draw, it’s the opponent we have to prepare for and that’s all we will be thinking about from when we start preparing for the game.
“We have a specialist for Porto in our own team in Pep Lijnders being there in the past – and he always speaks with so much respect for that club.
“We will have plenty of information and that’s what you need before a game, but you still have to play it. Now we know it, let’s prepare.”
Liverpool FC lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in the Champions League final last term after Sadio Mane scored what proved to be a consolation goal.
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