The Liverpool manager made seven substitutions from the 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium for Wednesday’s second Champions League quarter-final second leg against Benfica, while City survived a bruise at Atletico Madrid, including 12 minutes before also reach the semifinals. -finals. Klopp denies that opposition to the preparations will boost Liverpool’s prospects at Wembley, but expects his team to improve, regardless, because, in his opinion, they have lost in many parts of the Premier League match. Klopp said: “We had it last week before we played against City. We had an away game [in Lisbon] and arrived home in the middle of the next day. The journey is intense, for sure. Will it give us an advantage? I have no idea. “We will see. It was intense for both teams [on Wednesday]. City were very strong last week and we were not at our best, so I would like to see a game where we will be at our best. That would be interesting. “The boys did a lot of good things in the game, but I really think in some places we are able to perform at a completely different level and I think we have to try it. And it is a Cup game, a unique one. If it is 2-2 again, it is 120 minutes and if it stays that way it is a penalty and it would be really crazy if it goes to the end. “I want to have 12 games from now until the end of the season and be in the finals. It’s difficult, but it’s still the best program to have because it means you are in all the competitions as much as possible. I look forward to the game. “Wembley is a big stadium, we have to cover a lot of grass and run a lot and close big gaps, but I think it will be nice.” Liverpool have a draw with City at home and away in the league this season. Photo: Paul Currie / Shutterstock Diogo Jota is Liverpool’s only interest in fitness, although Klopp expects the Portuguese international to recover from the blow he received against Benfica. Klopp admits that he and Pep Guardiola have made tactical changes to stifle each other in recent years, but not at the expense of quality entertainment. “Over the years you notice changes,” he said. “We had some decent counterattacks in the past and then Pep decided that the full-backs could not cross the midfield. We did similar things, we try to deny them too. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. The Fiver: subscribe and receive our daily football email. “There are crucial challenges in a game and it is better to win them otherwise they are in a very good position. We lost some easy balls in the city game a few days ago and what they did was spectacular, like the counter in the first minute when Ali [Alisson] made a great repulse from [Raheem] Genuine. It’s just good football, but the goals we scored were also very good situations. “It’s a really intense fight at a very high level. The concentration levels that all the boys have to bring to the court are crazy. When things get tricky, this can be frustrating, but it can be very rewarding. “This rarely happens in games between City and Liverpool and this is good for all the fans who watch it.”
