BRING ON BARCA
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL DRAW Carragher wants Kop to take on the best ...and that means Messi in the Nou Camp
JAMIE CARRAGHER wants Liverpool to land Barcelona in today’s Champions League quarterfinal draw.
Rather than fear a showdown with Lionel Messi and Co, the former Kop idol says his old club should be relishing the chance to pit themselves against the best in the world. It’s a daunting last-eight line-up that also includes Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus but Carragher claims
IT may seem like the quarter-final line-up from hell but the only thing Liverpool have to fear from today’s Champions League draw is fear itself.
That is the view of their European record-breaker Jamie Carragher, who took time out from his own problems this week to cast an eye on the European powerhouses that await his former club in today’s last-eight draw. And he believes Liverpool should embrace rather than shirk the chance to judge themselves against the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Carragher said: “I always think when you’re in the Champions League that you want to face the biggest teams and the biggest names. No team will want to play Liverpool at Anfield. That’s the mentality you must have.” Carragher (in his playing days, right) should know. He holds the record for the number of appearances (27) of any Liverpool player in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Much has been made of Spanish dominance over English clubs in Europe’s two major competitions, and for good reason – Spain hold a 22-4 advantage from the last 26 meetings in the knock-out stages. But Carragher was part of the Liverpool team that knocked out Barcelona, the holders, in 2007.
He was the linchpin of a defence which blunted Barca’s all-star attack of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Deco, Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.
The suspended Sky Sports pundit, enduring a difficult time at the moment, also helped Liverpool to a two-legged thrashing of Real Madrid in 2009, the Reds winning 1-0 at the Bernabeu and 4-0 at Anfield a fortnight later.
He added: “You don’t get to the last eight of the Champions League without the best teams in Europe being there.
“Honestly, it would not worry me too much who Liverpool were drawn against.
“You are four games away from a final and two of those would be at Anfield – you’d have to fancy Liverpool at Anfield. Whoever Liverpool get it will be a tough game, but it will be a tough game for the opponents given the way the front three are playing.
“The atmosphere at Anfield would be electric if they got one of the huge names... and, let’s face it, everyone is a huge name in the last eight.”
Carragher’s sentiments were echoed by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp on the eve of possibly the toughest-ever quarter-final draw. He said: “The last eight is cool.
“We’re a little bit satisfied and it’s already good – I think it was time we showed up again.”