Jordan Henderson says he hopes to 'devastate' Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez when the Barcelona pair return to Anfield on Tuesday night.
The Liverpool captain detailed his belief that the fact the two former Reds stars were returning to Merseyside was also an indication of just how far Jurgen Klopp's side had progressed in recent years.
The midfielder was writing in his column for the official matchday programme ahead of the Champions League second-leg semi-final showdown in which Liverpool will be aiming to overturn a 3-0 deficit.
Suarez and Coutinho will play their first club contest at Anfield since leaving to join the Catalan giants in 2014 and 2018 respectively.
“There’s no room for sentiment in football and particularly in contests that mean as much as this one, but it will be great to see Luis Suarez and Phil Coutinho back at Anfield,” Henderson said.
Luis Suarez on Barcelona's big Champions League fear - and his proudest Liverpool moment
“I have no idea if either will start the game or not, but they’ll be with our visitors and I’m sure for them the emotion of coming back here will be strong, especially as it’s the first time both of them will have played here against Liverpool since leaving the club.
“Luis and Phil are friends as well as ex-teammates. Personally speaking, I learned a lot from both when I was lucky enough to share a dressing room with them. Clearly both are very different personalities on the pitch, but both are winners and two of the best footballers on the planet.
“Off the pitch they are actually very similar. Family is everything to them and their partners and children are some of the best people you could ever wish to meet. But on the pitch they have something in common: both are world class.
“When a player decides they want to go and do something else I can understand why the supporters of the club that they’re leaving might feel a little disappointed, and as a teammate I was disappointed when both left. But I think we can all respect that people have their own lives to live and their own decisions to make.
“I can only speak for myself, of course, but I feel really appreciative of what both did for this club when they were here because both gave their all when they pulled on our shirt to try and make us as successful as possible.
“Every minute they were on a pitch representing Liverpool they wanted nothing else but for us to win and be successful. To be clear, there is no friendship on either side when the match starts tonight, as there was no friendship in the first leg. That’s put on hold. They want to beat us with all they have and, likewise, we want to beat them.
“Despite being good friends, I hope both are devastated when the game finishes because we are through and they are out. But beyond the game itself I really do hope Luis and Phil can take a moment to stop and appreciate being back at a club they did so much to help when they played here.
“In a funny way, seeing both back at Anfield tonight in Barca shirts sums up where we are as a club in this moment and the progress we are making. We face them as opponents in a Champions League semi-final. It proves that when players leave a club it’s critical that you build on their legacy and keep moving forward.
“This team and this club is moving in the right direction and we are now at a point where world-class players see this place as a destination. You arrive at this point thanks to the hard work and dedication of many different types of people. Luis and Phil played their part in that along with many others.
“Hopefully they’ll leave remembering why Anfield is so special, but not because they’ll leave with a Barca win. They’ll see a club that is back at Europe’s top table and one that hopefully has another big chapter to come in this season’s story.”
