Jürgen Klopp believes Liverpool’s love of the Champions League has made them a feared opponent, report the Liverpool Echo.
Liverpool face Porto at Anfield in the quarter-final first leg, where they are unbeaten in 20 European ties.
Klopp believes that Liverpool’s home form, along with last season’s run to the final, makes them a feared opposition throughout Europe.
He said: “It’s a combination of things. In good games, we don’t talk about average games, we defend really well and we can really play football.
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“When I was a young manager I was always dreaming of having a team of world class players with the attitude of a proper challenger.
“That is actually what I love and we showed that, especially in the Champions League very often. We love the competition, that’s how it is.
“The best way is as a supporter watching the game, but you wouldn’t want to be the opponent. That is exactly how it should be.
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“This is one of the toughest places to go at the moment and I hope we can show that again.”
Many teams tried to play down the effect of the Anfield crowd on European nights, only to come undone.
It is the stuff of legend, and there is nothing quite like a European night under the lights at Anfield.
Klopp has regularly called on the home support for inspiration for his team, and he will certainly get that against Porto.
It is part of the reason that Liverpool have such a strong home record both domestically and in Europe.
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The Reds are unbeaten at Anfield in the Premier League since they lost to Crystal Palace in April 2017.
Anfield has become a fortress in recent times and provides Liverpool with the perfect platform to take a step towards the semi-finals.
Liverpool will look to do what they did to Manchester City and Roma last season and blow them away at home.
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Such a result would ease any nerves heading into the second leg in Portugal which could be tricky.
Liverpool will need to draw on Anfield’s power as Porto will be out for revenge for last year’s 5-0 aggregate thrashing.