Javier Mascherano has insisted Liverpool remain a team to fear in the Champions League this season despite their squad being decimated by injuries.
The Reds had endured a miserable start to 2021, dropping from first in the Premier League table to sixth after losing five of their last eight league matches, and continue to rue the long-term absences of the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
Jurgen Klopp 's side return to Champions League action on Tuesday night as they take on RB Leipzig in Budapest in the first leg of their round-of-16 clash, with Liverpool without as many as 10 players through injury.
Having lost their last three Premier League outings, a return to European action provides welcome respite for the Reds as they look to rediscover their form.
And Mascherano has given his old side a vote of confidence while assessing their chances, though he doesn't expect them to lift a second European Cup under Klopp this season following their success back in 2019.
"I think the injuries punished them a lot," he told beIN Sports. "They had lost their luck with many injuries at the same [position].
"It was not easy to overcome, but if the club succeeds in bringing back some key players to their normal state, it will be a team to fear in the Champions League.
"Bayern Munich, of course, is one of the great candidates (to win the Champions League) and English teams as well, Manchester City in particular but we have to see how these teams qualify for the final stages."
