THE road to Kiev and last season’s Champions League final featured famous wins over Manchester City and Roma.

Yet Jurgen Klopp believes their first clash of the knockout stage, which featured one the great European humiliations, could potentially have a major influence over tonight’s ‘wild’ quarter-final first leg at Anfield.

Porto can certainly not do any worse than 14 months ago when they completely fell apart at the Estadio do Dragao in a 5-0 battering which rendered the return leg — which finished 0-0 — completely irrelevant.

That was Liverpool’s first knockout game for nine years and even since then, this Premier League title-chasing team has improved and matured.

Equally, the expectations have increased massively and Reds boss Klopp is aware that many fans believe tonight will be a straight- forward home victory.

Klopp insisted: “We did not want Porto. Some people look at numbers but people with a proper idea about football did not want Porto — but also no one wanted Liverpool.

Porto could be a bit of wild game because they are really good in pressing and counter-pressing

“Porto can use the game last year as motivation — and we cannot use that. In terms of this game, a 5-0 score is a more valuable result for Porto than us.

“I know that my players are focused on the job and it has nothing to do with last year. It is about showing the right amount of respect but not too much. We have to be strong.

“They are a very experienced team and they had a very good result to beat Roma in the last round. Porto could be a bit of wild game because they are really good in pressing and counter-pressing.

“They do that really well and are well organised, good at crossing, they get bodies in early and balls into the box.

"Offensively and physically strong, they are creative in midfield and the full-backs are good at crosses. There is a lot to expect from them.

PEPE SUSPENDED

"We are preparing for a difficult game.

“Last year when we won 5-0 there, I thought it was a strange game. We were clinical.

"At the beginning, Porto were very good and caused us a lot of problems before we started scoring. Porto then felt the pressure at 2-0.”

Legend Iker Casillas, 37, was on the bench for the home leg before returning at Anfield and the keeper will be back there tonight.

While left-back Andy Robertson will be banned for Liverpool, Porto have both key defender Pepe and midfielder Hector Herrera suspended.

And one thing Porto will be aware of is that Liverpool are like Duracell bunnies — they never seem to tire, as they have proved by scoring key goals after the 80th minute.

Klopp added: “It shows we are fully focused. This club never gave up and this team never gives up.

“We are looking forward to the challenges in the next few weeks. Our development has been incredible.

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“The boys have grown and we now have more experience, as we proved against Bayern. Let’s try and do it again.”

With winter over, a smiling Klopp added: “It is such a good time. We get up every morning and the weather is good which is pretty rare. It is warm, spring is coming and we are in two big competitions.

“We’ve not finished our development. In training, you can see we are in a good moment but so are the other teams. We want to write a few more proper things on the pages of the season book.”

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