WE MUST BE BRAVE OR GET ‘EATEN’, SAYS KLOPP

JURGEN KLOPP last night warned Liverpool’s players they will get ‘eaten’ by Atletico Madrid if they repeat the performance that lost them their European crown. The Wanda Metropolitano stadium holds special memories for Klopp, whose team won the Champions League here in June 2019. But their most recent visit in February 2020 was abject and ended in a 1-0 defeat in the last 16. Atletico completed the job at Anfield a month later, winning 3-2 after extra-time. Klopp has never won with Liverpool in Spain, losing four games out of five, and believes that sequence will be extended if there is any kind of drop from the blistering form they have shown in the Premier League. Asked if playing Diego Simeone’s side was the equivalent of a football war, Klopp said: ‘It is. Atleti are the best of them (those sorts of teams) because they have the best players. ‘The problem with Atletico is the quality they have and the desire they show. Would it be the style I wanted to play? No. I couldn’t, I’m not the person for it, but we are all different. We will face it. ‘We didn’t forget how bad we were in Madrid last year and I’m sure Diego hasn’t forgotten how good we were at home, so I am pretty sure there is a way to cause them problems, but you have to play a top-class game and be incredibly brave. If you don’t do that, they eat you.’ Liverpool boast Mo Salah in a run of outstanding form and Klopp, who called him the best player in the world on Saturday, believes he could be a potential Ballon d’Or winner — though there is no update on his contract talks despite the Egyptian’s agent, Ramy Abbas, being in England last weekend. ‘If winning the Ballon d’Or is about being in the Champions League final, scoring the most goals, then it could be difficult,’ said Klopp. ‘But if it’s about performances over the last two years then he has a chance. ‘Does he get the recognition finally? Internally he always got it, externally I don’t know. After two goals he scored now people think all of a sudden because of that he could be the best player in the world, (it) is a bit strange.’

Probable XIs: ATLETICO MADRID (3-5-2): Oblak; Kondogbia, Felipe, Hermoso; Trippier, Koke, Lemar, Llorente, Lodi; Felix, Suarez.

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Mane.