Michael Owen has predicted that Liverpool will get revenge for their Europa League final defeat to Sevilla tonight in their opening Champions League match.
Sevilla beat Liverpool 3-1 in 2016, to deny Jurgen Klopp’s men Champions League football last season, but they take to the big stage tonight after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season.
And Owen has tipped his team to make a successful return to the Champions League at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Talking in his BetVictor blog, Owen said, “Jurgen Klopp’s side can quickly put behind what was a disappointing result at the Etihad last weekend against a Sevilla side who beat Liverpool in the final of the Europa Cup last year.
“The Reds don’t have a great record at home against Spanish opposition winning, just one of their eight CL home games, but this has the making of another great European night at Anfield.
“Despite a good start to the La Liga season, I’m not convinced this Sevilla side are quite as good as the one who won a third successive Europa League in Basel last spring and take the Reds to get revenge for that defeat.”
OPINION
It’s set to be a fascinating game tonight, with potentially the return of Philippe Coutinho to action after his summer transfer saga with Barcelona. Klopp wouldn’t be drawn on Coutinho’s possible selection but simply said that he was “fit and healthy”. Elsewhere, Sadio Mane is eligible to play with his three-match suspension only kicking in for domestic games. Mohamed Salah was sent home from training yesterday with an illness but Klopp expects him to return on Wednesday. We can’t see Coutinho starting – it would be risking a poor reaction from the Kop in such a crucial game. Klopp will probably be hoping to send him on late on if his team can score a couple of goals. And we agree with Owen about the match. Liverpool, with Mane available, should have too much for Sevilla, and a win will give them the perfect tonic after a shocking 5-0 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad. A defeat would be unthinkable.