Jurgen Klopp was backed by Rafa Benitez to repeat his 2004-05 feat and win the Champions League despite a disappointing Premier League campaign.
We were out of luck
Liverpool, who sits outside the top four with nine games, faces Real Madrid in the quarterfinals and may face Chelsea, their 2005 semi-final rivals, in the next round. With the final set to be played at Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium, the venue for Benitez’s comeback miracle against Milan, there’s a lot of talk about Liverpool’s fate. Asked if Liverpool can go all the way in Europe again, Benitez said: “For sure. Liverpool has potential and a manager, that’s not a problem. “People talk about Istanbul like we were lucky.
But we weren’t lucky to win the Champions League because we played Juventus in the quarterfinals, it was the upside and they played 5-3-2. “Tactically, we had to adapt to a very difficult opponent and then, because we are great, confidence grew and grew. And we played Chelsea, at that time it was the best team, maybe in Europe – probably in England – [but] our team had so much confidence that tactically we could handle it, we were a team with faith. “I think Liverpool can do the same and make it to the final obviously. AC Milan was a great team, but the team grew confidence because in these knockout competitions we could do it.”
Liverpool’s potential revenge against RM
Liverpool is seeking revenge for the 2018 finals in their quarterfinal clash with Real. First leg at Santiago Bernabeu on April 6, ahead of the home game at Anfield eight days later. If they progress, Liverpool will play either Chelsea or Porto in the semi-finals starting April 27-28 and ending May 4-5. The final in Istanbul is then scheduled for May 29th.