The Reds head to Camp Nou to face Barca – spearheaded by Lionel Messi, Coutinho and Suarez – in the Champions League.
Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson has stressed that stopping Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi is not the be all and end all when the Reds face the Blaugrana at Camp Nou.
The left-back admitted that that “hardest thing” will be the sum of Barca’s attacking powers, namely the likes of former Liverpool stars Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez.
Should he be named in the starting XI as is expected, Robertson will be tasked with defending the area of the pitch which Messi usually lines up and operates in.
Although the Argentina international is the standout attacker in the Barcelona squad, he is one of several high calibre players that are capable of getting goals and assists.
Indeed, Coutinho has 11 goals and five assists in 50 appearances this season – a significant amount off the subs’ bench – while Suarez has 24 goals and 12 assists in 47 games.
“We need to defend in packs, but the problem is that it’s not just him,” Robertson is quoted by the official Liverpool website as saying.
“If you keep him quiet, then you’ve got Coutinho, who we all know well, you’ve got Suarez and people like that who can cause you problems, so it’s not about keeping one man quiet, it’s about keeping the whole team quiet, and that’ll be the hardest thing for us.”
Klopp’s Liverpool will be hoping to extend their 19 game unbeaten streak in their clash against Barca, while Ernesto Valverde’s charges continue their pursuit of the treble.
The winner of the tie will face either Ajax or Tottenham Hotspur in the final at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain on 1 June 2019.
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