As we’ve said a few times here, the Brazilian press has been crazy about Flamengo’s form and their participation at the Club World Cup.
When interviewing Liverpool players, they’ve been asking about the Brazilian side for months now, even before the Copa Libertadores was won.
Now that Flamengo’s place in the Club World Cup is confirmed, it sounds like the right time for these questions, but Jurgen Klopp may not agree with it.
ESPN Brasil interviewed the Reds’ boss following the 5-2 win over Everton at Anfield last night, but it turns out the German manager didn’t have a lot to say about the Rio de Janeiro side.
“I know they’ve won the Copa Libertadores and I know a couple of players, obviously. But I have about the same knowledge as we have usually before play a team in the Champions League for the first time. So that’s three, four days before we play them,” Jurgen Klopp told ESPN Brasil.
“So if we play them. I think they have to win the semis, right? So we have a game in-between and it must be enough to prepare the game. So in this moment it would be a shame if I’d know much more about any Brazilian team than I know about Bournemouth. So I have to prepare Bournemouth for the weekend, that’s my priority. And then, as I said, we’ll be prepared. That should be enough. We respect them a lot, but we’re not sure we’ll play them, because both have to win the semifinal. And at this moment I don’t know who we’ll play there so let’s see.”
Jurgen Klopp is completely right, as both clubs have to play the semifinals before facing each other in the final. Even though European sides never fail to get to the final, South American clubs have done so a couple of times.