Georginio Wijnaldum believes that Liverpool and Atletico Madrid share many of the same qualities ahead of this week's Champions League clash.
Jurgen Klopp's side resume the defence of their crown title when they travel to the La Liga side for the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.
The meeting with Diego Simeone's team will see the Reds return to the Wanda Metropolitano, where they beat Tottenham in the final of last year's competition to claim their sixth trophy.
And although the club are currently flying high in the Premier League with a 22-point lead at the top of the table, Wijnaldum is expecting the match to be far from easy.
He told UEFA (via liverpoolfc.com): “They are a lot like us, fighters. They are a team more or less like us, also really difficult to beat.
“I think you can see that in their playing style in the competition.
"They are always battling to get results and they can easily switch at times when it is necessary, they know what they have to do to win the match.
"So yes, these are going to be really difficult matches.”
The Netherlands international also dismissed suggestions that Liverpool are under increased pressure in Europe this season following the success of the previous campaign.
Instead, the 29-year-old insisted that Klopp's side are sticking to the same principles and mindset which saw them lift the trophy in Madrid last June.
"We are doing pretty much the same thing we were doing last season,” Wijnaldum added.
“We are mostly working on improving the team and becoming a team that is really difficult to beat, so it is essentially the same as last year.
“What we are trying to do is give everything we’ve got and we’ll see what happens at the end of the season.
"Because during the season you have a lot to deal with, you can get injuries and dips in form, which you may have to work on as a team.
“We try to deal with every situation as well as possible. That is how we see it, we give everything we’ve got and at the end of the season you hope it ends with a trophy.”
