Jurgen Klopp has warned his Liverpool side that they could be eaten alive by Atletico Madrid if they approach Tuesday's game with the wrong mindset.
It's a rematch of the 2018/19 Champions League last 16, in which Liverpool's all-dominant season suffered a major bump in the road as Atleti roared to victories in both legs of the fixture to dump Liverpool out of the competition.
Liverpool were perhaps the better side in the second leg, which ended up in a 3-2 defeat after extra time, and Klopp believes that game will still be fresh in the memory of those at the Wanda Metropolitano.
“We didn’t forget how bad we were there and I’m pretty sure Diego [Simeone] hasn’t forgotten how good we were at home,” he said (via The Times).
“So I am pretty sure there is a way of causing them problems, but you have to play a top-class game and be incredibly brave. If you don’t do that, they eat you.”
Klopp also took the chance to discuss his relationship with Simeone, admitting that he is hardly the biggest fan of the Argentine's style of play.
"Diego Simeone is doing absolutely everything right," he continued (via Sky Sports News). "He is the current Spanish champion. Very successful at [Atletico].
"He has a bunch of world-class players, keeps them on their toes, they fight with all they have for their lives. That says a lot about the quality of Diego so I couldn't respect more what they do.
"Do I like it? Not too much but that is normal because I prefer a different kind of football. That's me. Other coaches prefer different styles of football. Nobody has to like it, it just has to be successful and that is what Atletico is for sure."
Simeone was given the chance to respond to Klopp's criticisms of his style before the game, but when asked what he had to say to his Liverpool counterpart, he responded in English: "Nothing."
This article was originally published on 90min as Jurgen Klopp wary of being 'eaten' by Atletico Madrid.
Source: www.90min.com