Benfica Vs Liverpool On Quarter Final Leg 1 of Champion League Schedule, Nelson Verissimo: We Can Neutralize The Reds' Strength

Benfica will host Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. (Photo: Twitter @SLBenfica)

JAKARTA - Benfica will host Liverpool in the first leg of the 2021/2022 Champions League quarter-final. This match will take place at the Estadio da Luz, Wednesday 6 April in the morning of Indonesian Western Time (WIB).

Looking at the statistics on paper, the Reds are clearly seeded to win. However, Benfica wants to break all predictions of many people.

Benfica coach, Nelson Verissimo, is confident that his team can advance to the next round. Although admitting Liverpool is a strong team, he feels that his team has a chance to reduce the strength of the English team.

"We will have to be at the top of the game for both games like we did against Ajax," Verissimo said, as quoted by Reuters from Reuters.

"If we play to our ability, we can neutralize Liverpool's strength. We feel there are situations where we can take advantage attacking and we must have tight security in the defensive process," he continued.

Playing at home in the first leg is also considered by Verissimo as an advantage. He hopes that the support of the fans can be an additional strength in the match later.

"It's good for us to play the first game at home. We will have the support of our 12th player, namely the fans. We believe it will make a difference," said Verissimo.

Benfica attacking midfielder Adel Taarabt agrees with the coach. He also believes Benfica can make a surprise when dealing with the Reds.

"We are not afraid of Liverpool," said Taarabt. "I think we can do it. We can compete and beat them."

"We are here, right? This means we can beat anyone and we will do our best against them," he added.