Jurgen Klopp has revealed he was desperate to see his side draw a team outside the Premier League during the Champions League draw
Liverpool stared at the prospect of being pitted against Man City or Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the continental showpiece
However, the 2019 European champions eventually earned a last-eight fixture with Benfica as Chelsea drew Real Madrid

Jurgen Klopp has revealed he was relieved after Liverpool avoided an English side in the Champions League quarter-final draw.

The Reds are among three Premier League sides that progressed to the last eight of the European competition.

Klopp's men saw off Serie A giants, Inter Milan, in the last 16 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Jurgen Klopp opens up on the teams he wanted Liverpool to avoid drawing

Unlike in the Round of 16, teams of the same division can be pitted against each other in the quarter-finals.

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As such, Liverpool faced the prospect of drawing either Man City or Chelsea in the last eight when the draw was conducted on Friday, March 17.

However, the Merseysiders avoided the two English heavyweights and landed a fixture against Benfica.

Klopp has now admitted he was happy with the draw as he did not want his charges to face off with an EPL side.

"I would have taken everybody but the only thing I didn’t want was an English team," Metro UK quoted the Liverpool boss saying.

"We play [the English clubs] often enough during a season and it’s good if you play somebody else," he added.

Liverpool set sights on FA Cup semi-final spot

Meanwhile, Liverpool now have their eyes trained on earning a semi-final spot in the FA Cup.

The Anfield dwellers are scheduled to battle Nottingham Forest in the quarter-finals scheduled for Sunday, March 20.

A win over the Championship side will earn them another trip to Wembley Stadium where they recently won the Carabao Cup.

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