Liverpool face Manchester City in the quarter-final of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Former Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes has told Yahoo Sport that he expects Liverpool to knock Manchester City out of the Champions League quarter-finals ahead of Wednesday night’s first leg – and reckons they can reach the final.
Jurgen Klopp’s side play host to City in an all-English tie in the last eight of the Champions League, before the two sides do battle once again in the second leg at the Etihad next week.
Liverpool are the only team to beat Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City side in the Premier League this season, as they earned a 4-3 win at Anfield to break the Sky Blues’ unbeaten league run.
However, City smashed Liverpool 5-0 earlier in the season and both matches will be fresh in the memory as thew two sides do battle on Wednesday night. But Morientes reckons Liverpool will progress, despite City’s excellent showing this season.
“I think Liverpool are one of the favourites to get to the semi-finals, or even reach the final,” Morientes said. “In the Premier League, they’re very close to securing [Champions League] qualification, which I think is their objective.
“They’re in a great moment and against Porto, they showed they have players in really good form. There’s Firmino and Salah, who is scoring so many goals. They’re having a fantastic season and there’s no reason they can’t get to the final.”
Guardiola will be without talismanic striker Sergio Aguero for the first leg as he continues to overcome a knee injury, with the Argentine hotshot missing City’s last five games due to the injury.
Liverpool are not without their own injury problems, though. Defensive trio Ragnar Klavan, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all sidelined ahead of the heavyweight tie.
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