Hostile reception awaits Luis Suarez, says former Red John Aldridge
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez can expect a hostile reception when he returns to Anfield for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final tomorrow morning (Singapore time), says John Aldridge.
The Catalans are leading 3-0 after the first leg and Aldridge feels that the best way for Liverpool to overcome the deficit and make it to the final would be to get their former striker sent off.
"If I were in that Liverpool dressing room, I'd hatch a plan to wind Suarez up and get him sent off," the former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland striker was quoted as saying on the Irish Independent.
"We know he has a short fuse and can lose it if he is pushed to the limits, so play him at his own game and try and get him rattled. Let's see how he likes it when the Liverpool fans and the Anfield crowd turn against him.
"That might be the best chance Liverpool have got to come back into the tie because at 3-0 down, it looks like a long way back for the Reds."
Hostile or not, Suarez has revealed he is "excited" to play at Anfield competitively for the first time since leaving the club.
The Uruguayan swopped Anfield for the Nou Camp in 2014 after spending three years on Merseyside.
During his flight into England, Suarez captured a shot of Anfield and posted the picture in his Instagram, with the caption: "Anfield, I am excited to see you again."
Another player making his return to Anfield is Philippe Coutinho, who has endured a troubled season and a half since Barca paid £146 million (S$261m) - a club-record transfer fee - to pry him away from Liverpool.
The Brazil forward, who has come in for criticism from the media and the club's supporters, had a chance to redeem himself in the first leg last Wednesday, but he gave the ball away too often which allowed Liverpool to counter-attack and put pressure on the Catalans' defence.
Coutinho was replaced after an hour and his removal coincided with a significant upturn in the team's performance.
Following that, it was expected Coutinho would make way for forward Ousmane Dembele tomorrow, but the French international suffered yet another injury in a 2-0 loss at Celta Vigo which has ruled him out for the Liverpool clash.
So, unless coach Ernesto Valverde decides to play with an extra midfielder, Coutinho will be Barca's third forward, and scoring his 13th goal of the season at his former stomping ground tomorrow could go a long way to extending his stint at his new club.
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