Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he has “no clue” as to whether the Reds can retain their Champions League crown this season and highlighted the levels of luck which is required to be successful in Europe’s elite club competition.
The runaway Premier League leaders are one of the protagonists to claim the Champions League title having won it last year by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in Madrid in June.
The next step in Klopp’s quest for defending the title comes on Tuesday with a trip to Spain to face Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
The 52-year-old German was asked by reporters to assess their chances of emerging victorious in Istanbul in May but Klopp struck a rather cautious note.
Klopp told reporters ahead of Liverpool’s clash against Norwich City that he does not have any idea as to how far the Merseyside giants can go in the prestigious tournament, “Juventus were my favorites before the season started but obviously I don’t watch Italian football enough because I cannot work out why they are not 10 points ahead at the top of Serie A. They have the biggest squad I have ever seen in my life; quality players too, it’s crazy. The Bayern Munich squad is also massive, PSG is incredible when they are all fit, you can never discount Barcelona and let’s not forget Manchester City because the Champions League will be one of their big targets. I have no clue how far we can go but there’s no need to think about it yet because at the moment all we need to concentrate on is Atletico on Tuesday.”
Liverpool will be hoping to continue their impressive form in the Premier League against the Canaries at Carrow Road looking to go 25 points clear at the summit of the table.
