Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is hoping his Liverpool side can make more "fantastic memories" at the Estadio Metropolitano, the venue where they lifted the Champions League trophy last June.
The German manager told lfc.com: “It’s an interesting draw. Before the draw I actually thought it would be Madrid – either one of the two clubs – and that’s the way it is.
“Madrid is the place where we only have fantastic memories, all of us, so that’s great, but this time we play Atletico there and it’s their home ground.
Estadio Metropolitano 🔙 #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/3VL4WZhGlY
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 16, 2019
“It’s a tough one, but if you go through all of the draws, there are pretty much four or five potential finals already in the last 16.
“So, really, really good; a good draw, a difficult game like it should be, but how we most of the time think and say, I don’t think Mr Simeone is running through his living room and is happy that he got Liverpool.
“It will be a tough game. Two teams who are used to playing intense football, different styles and slightly different organisation of course, but both are ready for intensity and that makes it pretty tough for both.”
Special
“I think so, we’ll see,” he said, when asked if it’ll be special to head back to Estadio Metropolitano. “I think we had the home dressing room in that game. Maybe we can ask them: can we have that dressing room again! It was really nice, it was full with Liverpool signs, but I think they’ve got rid of them.
“It is fantastic. What can I say? I had one of the best nights of my life in this stadium, but this time – first and foremost – we have to go there to work and try our best.
“Then they have to come to Anfield, which is a very nice place as well.”
Liverpool's clash with Atletico is one of several high quality head-to-head clashes in the knockout stages, Klopp says it's a feature of how the competition has grown:
“I think I said last time that it is somehow the strongest-ever last 16 or last eight, but it looks like it becomes stronger and stronger every year.
“It’s good, it’s good because that’s what the Champions League should be. There were never, ever easy opponents in any round.
"It feels like a day since we did the job in the group stage, but it’s a week ago.
"It’s still fresh and we were really happy that night and we’re still happy that we can face a strong opponent in this round now.”
Next for Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool charges is a World Club Cup semi-final against Monterrey of Mexico on Wednesday in Qatar.
