‘No risk’ Liverpool will take Porto return lightly, says Klopp

The Premier League leaders are in a strong position to go on and reach the semi-finals after winning 2-0 at Anfield in the first leg last week thanks to goals by Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino.

They also have happy memories of their last visit to the Estadio do Dragao, when Sadio Mane bagged a hat-trick in a 5-0 romp in the last 16 last season.

However, Klopp believes the Portuguese champions are a far better side than either of those results suggested.

“I didn’t like the last game, it was just really strange. Until we were 2-0 up, and even after going 2-0 up, it was a really open game, but that is how it is, we don’t remember things like this,” Klopp said on Tuesday when asked about last year’s visit to the same venue.

“Porto is a really, really good football team, and even in the first leg they were really good.

“We have to be good tomorrow again, not just try to come through somehow,” added the German.

Since Liverpool’s victory a year ago, Porto have won all their home matches in the Champions League, including beating Roma 3-1 after extra time in the last round to overturn a first-leg deficit.

“There is no risk that we have to convince the boys again that Porto are a really good team because we know that already,” said Klopp, whose side beat Roma in the semi-finals last season.

“We played Roma and they can be really uncomfortable but I didn’t see a real chance for them (against Porto). Porto was really in charge of that game — we should be prepared but we still have to play.”

Klopp is without Dejan Lovren but Joe Gomez — who has not played since breaking a leg in December — did travel with the squad to Portugal, even if the manager said he was “not sure” the defender could play a full 90 minutes yet.

Liverpool come into the game having won their last seven matches and gone 16 games unbeaten in all competitions, form that has their fans dreaming of a possible Premier League and Champions League double.

“There has obviously been a lot of talk outside the dressing room for a long time, but we are concentrated on our targets,” said James Milner, refusing to get carried away.

“We can only control the games we play in between now and the end of the season.”