Suarez will cause Liverpool lots of problems, says Hendo
Liverpool get ready for a European Anfield night
Last updated 3rd Nov 2021
Liverpool's skipper Jordan Henderson has said he'll relish the chance of going up against his former team-mate Luis Suarez later tonight.
Tonight, Liverpool face Atletico Madrid at home as part of a group stage match in the Champions League.
Although Suarez did not start the last game, with Griezmann on a red card the Uruguayan is almost certain to start.
Henderson said: "We all know he's a top player for a long time. He produced so many good moments at Liverpool. I learnt a lot from him while he was here. I'm quite close to him, I speak to him every now and then. He's a world class player and he causes a lot of problems for defences.
"He's always in and around the goal, and if he gets a chance he's sure to take it. We've got to be on our guard with him, not only him they've got world class players all over, but certainly Luis. He's a top striker and will cause any teams problems.
Suarez joined Liverpool in 2011, after a £22.8m move from Ajax.
The Uruguayan made 133 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 82 goals and creating 29 assists. In 2013/14 Luis won the Premier League golden boot.
Henderson and Suarez played together from 2011-2014, before the striker made a transfer to Barcelona for a reported £64.98 million.
An ill history between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid
When the two last met on Merseyside in March 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic was just starting to take a grip on the world and their Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie ended up being the last match played in England for more than three months, as football - like the rest of the country - was shut down.
At the time Klopp voiced his opposition to the game, which they lost 3-2 in extra-time to go out 4-2 on aggregate, as despite rates spiralling in Spain and the country going into lockdown, 3,000 fans were still allowed to travel.
But with the majority of the population vaccinated and full crowds back in stadia again, this is now a game Klopp can give his full focus to - even if fewer than 200 Atleti fans are likely to be present due to, ironically, coronavirus concerns.
"We were so happy when we qualified for the Champions League last year, because we knew we would have nights like this", said Klopp.
"Atletico is a good team, incredibly good team and ever since Diego (Simeone) is there, they never played a friendly game, so we should not expect that, but we will give it a try."
The reds served up the first course of their revenge two weeks ago when they delivered the Madrid side a 2-3 home defeat of their own in the Champions League.
An early knockout victory on the table
A fourth successive victory tonight would guarantee Klopp's team entry into the knockout stages of the tournament, with an impressive 12 points to take from the group stage with two games to hand.
Atletico Madrid currently sit at 4 points, taking only one win from the group stage so far.
The Spanish side are on equal points with Porto FC, but are hedging the way by goal difference.
Klopp has been boosted by the return to training after injury of midfielders Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara, having lost Naby Keita to a hamstring problem at the weekend.