Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
KLOPP: RESPECT PORTO.. OR ELSE
JURGEN KLOPP will demand his Liverpool team show “respect” to Porto... and the mental strength not to succumb to complacency.
The Reds got what many consider a perfect Champions League quarter-final draw when they were pulled out of
the hat against the 100-1 Portuguese outsiders, who they thrashed 5-0 last season on their own ground.
But even though that made many bookies slash odds to make Liverpool the second favourites behind Manchester City, Klopp will not tolerate a casual approach to the tie.
Of the win at the Estadio do Dragao a year ago, he said: “That will offer Porto even more motivation. I could not be further away from thinking it’s the best draw because it isn’t.
“The first thing you have to do is make sure everybody respects the opponent the right way – and we will do that 100 per cent. We will know about the quality of Porto and then we have to play the game.
“Our supporters are brilliant at respecting the opponent.”
But Klopp did admit
Liverpool have a secret weapon against the Portuguese – a ‘spy’ in the camp. His No.2, Pep Lijnders (above), coached at the club, and Klopp said: “We have a specialist for Porto in our own team. Pep was there in the past and 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.”
If the Reds come through that, an even more mouthwatering tie awaits them in the semi-final – Barcelona or Manchester United. But Klopp refused to look that far ahead.
He added: “Porto are the opponent we have to prepare for. That’s all we will think about.”