Liverpool host Benfica for the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday. The Reds hold a 3-1 aggregate lead after the first leg. Liverpool are going off a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Manchester City. Benfica won 3-1 in their leg game, and rested many key pieces ahead of Wednesday’s match. For the Liverpool starting XI prediction go here.
Injury News
There are no injury concerns for Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp saying everyone is available in his Tuesday press conference. However, it is set to be a different looking line-up for Liverpool, as they try and navigate a busy month.
Tie’s not over
A lot of pundits declared the quarterfinal tie over after Liverpool won 3-1 on the road, but Jurgen Klopp wasn’t one of them. He spoke Tuesday about how his team has to be on their game if they want to advance.
“We have to be on top of the game,” Klopp said. “We were good in Benfica, I liked the game. The main target is to be, again, the one team nobody wants to play against.”
Benfica had some more chances in the first leg, but Liverpool were able to handle most of the tough situations. Klopp said he expects the Portugese side to be aggressive, and called upon the Anfield crowd to help out.
“I don’t know what they will do, but I would go for it – full throttle,” Klopp said. “Put us under pressure, try to score early…Bad news for Benfica, it’s Anfield. They not only play against us, but the whole crowd. It’s cool, but we hope we can use that.”
Betting Odds
Liverpool are -380 favorites to win the second leg, with Benfica receiving +950 odds on a win. The odds of a draw are +550. Heading into the second leg, Liverpool are -20000 to advance, and Benfica come in at +2200.