Liverpool’s round of 16 Champions League draw provides Jurgen Klopp with a return to Germany as he faces one of his arch-rivals.
Bayern Munich have faced off multiple times against Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund, but this time, the German will be taking his Reds with an ex-Bayern player in his squad.
Xherdan Shaqiri would be relishing the trip to Munich as he faces his former side. The Swiss star spent three seasons in Bavaria and completed two league and cup doubles with Bayern, and the Champions League, before moving to Inter Milan.
Klopp also has a few members of his backroom team that have links with Bayern, and the German spoke about the trip and how the game will be tough (h/t Liverpoolfc.com):
“It’s nice for Mona [Nemmer] and Korny [Andreas Kornmayer] and Shaq. I will meet former players [too] and it’s good. But at the end it’s a football game on the highest level and we have to play it.
“We knew it before, it’s not that anybody thought ‘thank God it’s Liverpool’, so we don’t think ‘thank God it’s Bayern’. It’s a tough one, but that’s how it should be.
“It’s the last 16 of the Champions League so there are only tough teams in and I’m really excited about it.”
The Reds were always going to get a tough draw after coming second in their group, but this Bayern side isn’t the all-dominant version that we have seen in previous seasons.
Liverpool made it to the last 16 with a tense 1-0 win over Napoli that featured Alisson making a huge save at the end. However, Btts tips have Liverpool to get through Bayern and enter the Quarter-finals of the Champions League.
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The Reds are known for their European nights, and this clash against Munich will be another one to celebrate.