- Jurgen Klopp believes his Liverpool side would beat PSG if they played
- The Parisians are one of the favourites to win the Champions League this season
- Klopp has taken confidence from Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Man City last month
- The Reds are in Portugal to take on Porto in the first leg of their last-16 tie
Jurgen Klopp has bullishly suggested his Liverpool team would beat Paris Saint-Germain if they met in the Champions League.
The German manager believes his side’s 4-3 win over Manchester City in the Premier League last month proves they have what it takes to beat the best teams in world football.
Klopp’s side take on Porto in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night, while PSG head to the Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp believes his Liverpool side would beat Paris Saint-Germain if drawn together
The Liverpool manager speaks to his players during training at the Estadio do Dragao
PSG are one of the most formidable sides in world football at present and take on Real Madrid in their last-16 Champions League tie
PSG are among the favourites to go all the way and win the competition for the first time come May, but Klopp feels Liverpool could end the French club’s dream if drawn together.
He said: ‘Probably the strongest team in Europe at the minute is Manchester City. We’ve played them twice and that’s the highest level.
‘PSG is a little bit different but I don’t look at them I only know it already that if we meet them we could beat them.
‘That’s how it is but it’s not important. We are here in Porto and that’s the only thing that matters.’
Liverpool inflicted Manchester City’s one and only domestic defeat of the season to date in a seven-goal thriller at Anfield on January 14.
Klopp oversees training on the eve of Liverpool’s Champions League meeting with Porto
Liverpool have gained confidence from their 4-3 win over Man City last month, a match that saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain among their scorers (above)
Klopp celebrates wildly on the touchline as Liverpool inflicted a rare domestic loss on City
Now they turn their attention to their last-16 tie with Porto, who currently have a two-point lead over Benfica at the top of the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
Klopp added: ‘Usually last-16 doesn’t sound too good in a lot of competitions but in the Champions League it’s quite a message already.
‘There are so many good football teams around who want to be in the competition still and we are in it so that’s cool.
‘Now we have to show we don’t only want to be part of the competition, we are quite ambitious. That’s how it is. You have to take it round by round.
‘Now it’s Porto and it’s quite a hurdle, a nice hill we have to go over. It’s interesting. It will be a special atmosphere as well and I’m really looking forward to it.
‘This is our draw. It’s a difficult job to do for both teams. Porto are really strong, very experienced, very aggressive, very physical, but we are good as well so it will be an interesting game.’