MY ACCOUNT
Benfica are not afraid of the challenge that awaits them in their Champions League quarter-final tie with Liverpool, according to midfielder Adel Taarabt.
Liverpool enter the first leg of their showdown with Benfica at Estadio da Luz on Tuesday as strong favourites, having won 16 of their past 17 matches in all competitions.
The Reds have also won all four away games in UEFA’s flagship club competition this term – only once, between 1983 and 1984 under Joe Fagan, have they won five in a row.
But having finished above Barcelona in the group stage before eliminating an in-form Ajax in the first knockout round, Taarabt does not fear Premier League giants Liverpool.
“Of course we can compete with them,” Taarabt said at a pre-match news conference on Monday. “I think we can do it.
“They are a team we have to respect, but we’re not afraid of them. We know their quality and hope to be at our best.”
While Liverpool may be in good form, they have lost each of their last three trips to face Benfica in European competition, the most recent of those games coming in the 2009-10 Europa League.
The Reds are a far different proposition under Jurgen Klopp, however, as they look to add the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup to the EFL Cup already won.
Taarabt, who spent seven years in English football with Tottenham, QPR and Fulham, puts Liverpool’s successful streak in recent years down to a settled side.
“This team has been playing together now for four or five years,” he said. “They have a lot of dynamics to them and play well. They are also very consistent.
“In the past there were a lot of players coming and going, though even when that was the case they were still a very good side.”
Benfica beat Ajax 3-2 on aggregate to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for a fifth time, though they have never previously progressed any further.
Nothing will be decided in Tuesday’s first leg and head coach Nelson Verissimo is hoping it will be all to play for at Anfield in next week’s return fixture.
“In a two-legged tie it’s always important how the first game ends,” he said. “It was good for us when we played the first game at home against Ajax, and here it will be too.
“The result will be important to ensure the second leg remains open. It’s important we start well, with the hope of progressing. But we know Liverpool’s power.”
