Liverpool: Porto arrive ahead of Champions League clash
The Reds are caught in a tense title fight with Manchester City and sit two points clear of the defending champions at the summit, albeit having played an extra game.
But Liverpool briefly push their ambitions of a first championship since 1990 aside for the visit of Portuguese giants Porto in the last eight of the Champions League tomorrow night (8pm).
Jurgen Klopp was told by some earlier in the tournament to purposefully sacrifice their chances of success in Europe to strengthen their prospects of winning the league.
That is with Liverpool’s squad notably thinner than the depth available to Pep Guardiola, with Man City currently chasing an unprecedented quadruple having won the Carabao Cup and secured their berth in the FA Cup final.
The Merseyside outfit, however, impressed with their defeat of Bayern Munich in the last 16 and are now favourites to overcome Porto and reach the semi finals for a second successive season.
Liverpool overcame the Primeira Liga side 5-0 last season with Sadio Mane scoring a hat-trick in the away leg.
Despite the huge importance of Liverpool’s next five league matches - including a clash with Chelsea on Sunday (4.30pm) - Klopp insists they cannot take their place in the last eight of the Champions League for granted given the club’s lengthy absence from the tournament.
Until last term, Liverpool had not even made the knockout stages since 2008-09.
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will not cast aside the Champions League (Image: GETTY)
Jurgen Klopp has reached two Champions League finals as a manager but lost both (Image: GETTY)
Liverpool vs Porto: Reds need to be professional says pundit
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We are very ambitious. We will try everything.
Jurgen Klopp
And Klopp insists his charges will treat their two legs against Porto as important ever despite the club’s desperation for league success - suggesting he will name a full-strength line-up.
Asked whether Jordan Henderson and James Milner could start against Porto after impressing from the bench in a win at Southampton last Friday, Klopp said: “We'll see.
“We have to recover now and then we will make the line-up for Porto.
“We are very ambitious. We will try everything.
“It's at Anfield, it's a quarter-final, it's a big one for us.
Liverpool are currently in the midst of an intense Premier League title race (Image: GETTY)
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool beat Sergio Conceicao's Porto in the Champions League last season (Image: GETTY)
Porto have only lost four of 48 matches this season (Image: GETTY)
“This is our second year [back] in the Champions League, not year number 12 or whatever.
“We are not Real Madrid who have won it the last three times.
“We like the competition and we will try everything to win the game.”
Klopp will be forced into at least one change with left-back Andy Robertson suspended after picking up too many yellow cards. James Milner could deputise there, with Alberto Moreno another alternative.