Liverpool are ready to give the task of trying to retain their Champions League crown a ‘proper try’, Jürgen Klopp insists, but face a challenge he believes to be one of the most difficult in European football when they take on Atletico Madrid in the last-16 stage.


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The Reds touched down in Spain in Monday ahead of the first leg of the tie with the La Liga club as the tournament’s knockout phase begins.

Tuesday’s fixture will take place at the same venue Liverpool hoisted aloft the European Cup last June – Estadio Metropolitano – and speaking during his pre-match press conference at the stadium, Klopp outlined his side’s determination preserve their status as reigning champions.

Nevertheless, the manager detailed why he believes they face one of the game’s toughest opponents in the form of Atletico.

Read on for a summary of what the manager had to say in his press conference below…

On his respect for his opposite number, Diego Simeone…

People say about me that I am emotional on the sideline,

so if I am on level four, then I would say Diego is on level 12 or so! Really,

I am like the Kindergarten Cop against him! It’s really impressive, over all these years. Eight years, that’s really long and having still this emotional level, wow – that’s absolutely impressive. As I say, his teams are always world-class organised, so that makes him one of the best. We’ve met once or twice, we exchanged some messages after big defeats or big wins and tomorrow in a real competitive game we will meet for the first time and it will be interesting, absolutely interesting.