Sadio Mane has admitted that it would be ‘special’ for him to face Liverpool in this season’s Champions League.
Mane’s Bayern Munich qualified as group winners after beating Inter Milan 2-0 on Tuesday night. With Liverpool finishing in second place in their own group, the two clubs could meet in the next round.
And as per journalist Heiko Niedderer of Bild on Twitter, the Reds legend would welcome such a draw.
“Draw is draw, we will see on Monday. But of course, it would be a very special game for me,” said Mane.
From a footballing perspective, it’s obviously a draw that Liverpool fans would hope to avoid. But seeing their former No.10 back at Anfield so soon after leaving would indeed be special. Let’s see what happens.
Bayern lying in wait for Liverpool?
In any other year, Liverpool’s haul of 15 points in this year’s Group Stage would no doubt see them win their group.
Unfortunately, such was Napoli’s red-hot form, that the Reds had to settle for a runners-up spot. In the end, the abysmal performance in Naples is what cost them.
No matter, the way Liverpool are playing this season, progression shouldn’t be taken for granted. If things continue the way they are, we won’t be seeing the Champions League at all next season.
So, supporters should make sure they enjoy the ride this year. With that in mind, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to see Bayern rock up at Anfield next February.
The perennial German Champions are part of Europe’s elite. But they also aren’t infallible. Currently in an unfamiliar second position in the Bundesliga, they don’t look quite as relentless without the goals of Robert Lewandowski.
Still, a motivated Mane would be more than a match for a backline who he knows so well. Players do tend to raise their game against their former sides, so it’s easy to see why Mane would be happy to face Liverpool in such poor form.
After an amicable separating, many at Anfield would be delighted to see Mane, too. Not afforded the chance to say farewell to the supporters in the manner that Divock Origi was, it would draw a line under a beautiful period for player and club.
But ultimately, Liverpool aren’t in the last-16 to play around. With league form putting qualification for next season’s competition in doubt, the Reds may need to win the trophy to get in it. If Bayern and Mane stand in the way of that, Liverpool will give it everything to sweep them aside, just as they did in 2019.
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