UK Edition
Emre Can: No big club will want to draw Liverpool in the Champions League
Liverpool could face a daunting Champions League campaign when the group stage draw takes shape later today.
But midfielder Emre Can believes the top seeds will not relish the prospect of coming to Anfield as the Merseyside club prepares to right the wrongs of their last miserable campaign in the premier competition.
Liverpool were meek in 2014, their surrender to Real Madrid home and away especially painful as they failed to make the knockout rounds. In one notorious fixture, former manager Brendan Rodgers picked a second-string team in the Bernabeu.
As they are in pot three in Thursday’s draw, there is a genuine prospect of Jurgen Klopp’s side being in a ‘group of death’ – but Can says he would be unconcerned.
“The big teams will want to avoid Liverpool,” said Can. “Everyone knows we are a very strong side. They will have seen what we did against Hoffenheim.
“I don't have any preference. We know that we will play against big teams but I don't care who we get.”
Liverpool return to the Champions League in much better shape than last time, when they failed to recover from the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona and the absence of Daniel Sturridge – who is still waiting for his debut in the competition.
Even without Philippe Coutinho, the swashbuckling attacking football was on display over the two qualifying legs with Hoffenheim, and in Sadio Mane it appears Liverpool finally have the natural heir to Suarez three years on from the Uruguayan’s sale.
“Sadio is a world-class player. He has so many qualities,” said Can. “He's a very strong player, he's a very quick player, he's always scoring goals and creating chances for the team.
“He's also a really good guy. His performance against Hoffenheim was brilliant. I am very happy to have him as a team-mate. You could say he's made a big step forward during his time here.
“There are so many options with the front three we have. There is always a pass. They are quick and always moving into space. You can always play the ball to them and it's so nice to play with them.
“Sadio, Salah, Firmino, everyone. It was such a fantastic start. It's brilliant to play with them. We played so well and created so many chances in that opening 30 minutes.
“We can still do better. In the last 15 minutes of the first half I don't think we defended that good. We still need to improve. But the most important thing is that we're playing Champions League football this season.”
Can has also started the season in excellent form. He was affected by injury a year ago, but has been hugely influential so far – as demonstrated by his two goals on Wednesday evening.
“It was a big night for me. It's the first time in my career that I have scored two goals in a game,” he said.
“I was close to getting the hat-trick. That would have been nice and maybe that will happen one day, but the most important thing is that we won the game and we are through to the group stage. I was just happy I could help the team go through. We started the game so well.”