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Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka has insisted that his team are well aware of the quality that Liverpool possess, but do not need to hide in the Champions League clash at Anfield.
Leverkusen were dominant against against Stuttgart at the BayArena on Friday and had 19 shots on goal compared to Stuttgart’s four but were unable to break the deadlock at the end of the night.
Now Liverpool await them at Anfield on Tuesday for a Champions League league phase match.
Xhaka, who has prior experience of playing against Liverpool while the Reds were still under Jurgen Klopp, insists that he and his team-mates know how much quality their opponents have.
However, the German champions will still go there and do not have to hide, Xhaka feels.
“We obviously know how much quality our opponents have”, Xhaka was quoted saying by German magazine Kicker.
“But we don’t have to hide.
“We’ll go there and hopefully play with the same intensity as we did against Stuttgart.
“And then we have to reward ourselves.”
Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is also familiar with Liverpool having spent five years of his career playing in a red shirt.
