Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has made a sarcastic dig towards Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, ahead of the two clubs meeting on Tuesday night.
The Reds last faced Atleti in the Champions League round of 16 in 2020, where a last-minute Alvaro Morata goal in extra time sent Liverpool out at Anfield.
With the game being the last to take place in front of a full stadium before the first UK lockdown, the German boss reacted angrily to the defeat, saying: "I don't understand, with the quality they have, the football they play."
Klopp recently made an attempt to clarify his comments , but Atletico president Cerezo has defended his manager Diego Simeone’s style - and even made a sarcastic comment towards the Reds boss.
READ MORE: Live match updates for Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool
“Each teacher has his booklet and ours has done very well the last times he has played against Klopp,” he told Cadena COPE.
“It’s very hard for a manager like Klopp and for a team like Liverpool that the two games we have played lately eliminated them, and a long time ago, in another UEFA knockout, we also eliminated them at home.”
The two sides currently occupy the top two spots in Group B and victory at the Estadio Metropolitano would put the La Liga champions above Liverpool.
Cerezo’s comments, which also reference Atletico’s Europa League semi-final victory over the Reds in 2010, serves to add another layer to an already intriguing tie.
Having overcome both AC Milan and Porto in the group so far, Simeone’s team, armed with former Kop hero Luis Suarez, provide Liverpool’s toughest test of the competition so far.
In the pre-match build-up, the Madrid side have been eager to point out that Liverpool lost on their last trip to the Estadio Metropolitano and goalkeeper Jan Oblak is expecting a similar atmosphere , this time around.
He said: “The atmosphere in the home leg against Liverpool was spectacular. I'm sure it will be the same on Tuesday. It helps us so much.
"The fans are liking having one or two extra players, now that the stadium is full of our supporters."
