LONDON • Jurgen Klopp had nine wins, three draws and 10 losses as Borussia Dortmund manager while battling Bayern Munich for supremacy in Germany until 2015.
The six-time defending Bundesliga champions were happy to see the back of the man who denied them two titles from 2010-12 when he left for Liverpool. Klopp and Bayern will renew their rivalry, for the first time since leaving his homeland, in the last 16 of the Champions League after the teams were drawn against each other yesterday.
The Reds are the current form side and sit atop the Premier League, while Bayern, under new coach Niko Kovac, have fallen short of their own high standards in the Bundesliga, nine points off table-toppers Dortmund in third.
But Klopp knows that anything can happen between now and the first leg at home on Feb 12 and, given Bayern's pedigree as fellow five-time winners, there can be no writing off what he called "a top side".
He said yesterday: "Difficult. Good draw. It was clear it would be difficult. For me, it's nice, going to Germany. But it's just the draw.
"So we have now time to prepare the game, a lot of time obviously and, hopefully, we have all our (injured) players available then. It will be a tough one, an interesting one, and I am looking forward to it."
The German claimed his history with Bayern would not make a "big, massive difference" as circumstances have changed since their last meeting in a friendly last year.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW FOR LAST 16
 Schalke (Ger) v Manchester City (Eng)Â
Atletico Madrid (Esp) v Juventus (Ita)Â
Manchester United (Eng) v Paris Saint-Germain (Fra)
Tottenham (Eng) v Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
Lyon (Fra) v Barcelona (Esp)
Roma (Ita) v Porto (Por)
Ajax (Ned) v Real Madrid (Esp)Â
Liverpool (Eng) v Bayern Munich (Ger)
1st leg: Feb 12/13 and 19/20Â
2nd leg: March 5/6 and 12/13
"This is a different Bayern than what I played, we are already here for three years and since the Audi Cup (last year). We all know the stadium, the atmosphere will be great," he added. "We obviously know more about German football than any league, that's true but, in the end, the boys have to decide it on the pitch. Let's give it a try."
The 51-year-old also felt the pairing was the pick of the knockout stage as it "100 per cent" represented a clash between "two of the world's biggest clubs".
Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was equally enthused about the draw, insisting the visit to Anfield would be "something to look forward to as a player".
He said of the Reds: "A tough cookie. That's the team of the hour, the league leaders in England, they are playing really good football, very physical, really stepping it up. We are looking forward to it."
If a beleaguered Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United were hoping for respite from their league travails in Europe, they failed to find it after landing French champions Paris Saint-Germain for the first time in a competitive fixture in the other glamour tie of the round.
The Red Devils face a formidable task against a side featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe - the world's two most expensive footballers - but PSG boss Thomas Tuchel refused to be lulled into a false sense of security surrounding the opposition's poor domestic form this season.
Â
Â
"It's always difficult to play Manchester United," said the German.
"They have lots of experience in this competition, they've won it numerous times. It's always difficult to play at Old Trafford, a big challenge. It's the same thing against Mourinho, you must have respect."
In other notable ties, three-time defending champions Real Madrid were pitted against Ajax, Manchester City against Schalke and Atletico Madrid against Juventus.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ex-Dutch youth international Maguire seeks soaring start with Geylang The smaller crowds and stadiums of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) are a world away from the bright lights of elite football in Europe, but Barry Maguire sees his stint with Geylang International as a time to rebuild a career that is almost wrecked by injury.
Latest BARRY MAGUIRE | The Straits Times
Cardiff 1-5 Manchester United: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes dream start to reign as Red Devils run riot in the Welsh capital to register morale-boosting win He told me to make them play football
Top 5 Best 9mm Self-Defense Ammo for Concealed Carry Reviews 1 Magtech Ammunition 9 mm 115GR FMJ Ammo. This ammo's main objective is to make sure that people can access the best and cheap ammo for the 9mm concealed carry. The company has been making the best ammo for years now, so you can be sure that this one will be great.
Lpc Printing
Madrid, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th May, 2019 ) :Madrid will deploy an unprecedented number of police and security personnel for Saturday's all-English Champions League final, and use a drone for the first time to monitor fan activity.
Madrid plans 'robust' security for all-English Champions
Serie A: Napoli Draw Puts Juventus Coronation On Hold
Madrid: Zinedine Zidane will make a shock return as coach of Real Madrid after the club decided on Monday to sack Santiago Solari, say reports in the Spanish press. Madrid president Florentino Perez has reportedly met with the board and resolved to dismiss Solari, with Zidane set to be his
Zidane set for shock Madrid return - reports - sports.yahoo.com
Real Madrid take top spot from Manchester United in 'money league' Description: Manchester United had spent the last two years in first place in the financial charts, but they have slipped to third behind European champions Real Madrid and Spanish giants Barcelona.
Football: Real Madrid take top spot from Manchester United in
LIVERPOOL manager Juergen Klopp says his team have shown they are mentally equipped to handle a title run-in, having acquitted themselves well in high-pressure situations over the past few years. Klopp dismisses talk of Liverpool crumbling under pressure | New Straits Times | Malaysia General Business Sports and Lifestyle News
Football: Pochettino's positivity propels pursuit of progress
London: Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi says he will miss the rest of the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles in Monday's 2-2 draw against Burnley. Hudson-Odoi limped off helped by two members of Chelsea's medical staff after sustaining the injury in the first half of the Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's Hudson-Odoi says he will miss rest of season
Football: Everton dish out 4-0 thrashing to awful Manchester United to dim their top-four EPL hopes
Football: Everton dish out 4-0 thrashing to awful Manchester
Pray for no rain: Man City to return to China after Beijing debacle Manchester City will return to China this year for the first time since their ill-fated visit of 2016, when a game with cross-town rivals United was called off at the last minute.
Pray for no rain: Man City to return to China after Beijing
A solid win for the Blues. Emerson - 6.5: Decent game, but had a hard time against Ryan Sessegnon. Ranieri's exit was the last nail in the coffin for Fulham.
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham: We must fight for third place - Pochettino. Spurs needed to respond after the loss at Burnley on Saturday but this was a tired, uninspired performance that surely ends their
Where Chelsea can win or lose the top four - football.london
Ajax Stun Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus To Reach Champions
0 comments:
Post a Comment