Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp has said that Liverpool must suffer against Barcelona if they hope to stop Lionel Messi after his threat to ensure the UCL trophy is taken back to the Camp Nou.
The Reds, 2018’s beaten finalists, are set to battle the Spanish giants after dismantling Porto in the previous round to seal a spot in the UCL semifinals.
But after destroying Manchester United in the quarterfinals with a masterful display in the second leg, Messi is getting closer to his vow he made to Barcelona fans when the season began.
Messi said, “Last season was really good as we did the double, but we all felt bad about how it went in the Champions League,”
“We promise that this season we will do all we can to bring that beautiful trophy back to the Camp Nou.”
Klopp reacted, “Messi said at the start of the season that they wanted to bring back this cup,”
“That sounded already like a threat to me!
“But now we are here, we want to go to the final as well.
“We won’t be perfect tomorrow, we will make mistakes, we will suffer, 100 percent. It will be so difficult, but I couldn’t be more excited to play and I hope I can transport my players so they feel the same.
“It is not only about Messi, but it is about Messi of course. Can we concentrate on Messi? We should, in certain moments, but then they have 10 world-class players around who can decide the game.
“They have the highest quality team, they are already Spanish champions.
“But we saw the game against Real Sociedad and [Sociedad] did really well. Levante did really well a couple of days ago.
“Barcelona, the better the opponent, the better the competition, the higher the stakes, the more they are in. They are champions of Spain, so now they can focus completely on the Champions League. We are really looking forward to it, but it will be tough.”
“I would say that a draw is not the worst result in the world,”
“Not that we will go for it, but it would be OK.
“So many people came to Barcelona and had an idea on how to play, and in the end they got a proper knock, so we know how tough it will be.
“But two years ago it was a big, big thing for the club to qualify for the Champions League. Now for the second time in a row we are here in the semifinal, that’s big.
“It’s only positive and everybody sees it like that. We don’t need a guarantee.
“But we want to stay in this competition, to get a result tomorrow that gives us a good chance to do it at home. Whatever that result is, we want it.”
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate