Ex-AC Milan star, Hernan Crespo, has urged his former side to get “revenge” for the club’s 2005 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool when the Serie A outfit come up against the Reds in the group stage.
The Italian side were famously beaten by Rafa Benitez’s men in Istanbul, with the Merseysiders overcoming a three-goal deficit after half-time to set up a penalty shootout.
“It’s still an open wound for me, Liverpool-Milan is the first game Champions League game this season, and you already know what it means to me,” the former Chelsea forward told La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia). “I had scored a brace in the first half, I have never forgotten that night and even though Milan already beat Liverpool in the 2007 Final, I’m asking Pioli’s men to beat them at Anfield, get the revenge for me and show who Milan are.”
Jurgen Klopp’s men are due for a tough set of hurdles to cover in order to make it through to the knockout stages of Europe’s premier competition, facing Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and FC Porto.
Though a case could be made for us having one of the toughest groups in the Champions League, it should theoretically suit Liverpool to come up against top competition early on in the tourament.
Certainly, should we manage to navigate the challenges ahead, it would certainly prepare the club well for what is set to come in the knockout stages.
More must-reads: