Klopp confident about the ‘exciting draw’ against Real Madrid

Following Monday’s Champions League Round of 16 draw,

manager Jurgen Klopp expressed his excitement as his team drew Real Madrid.

After finishing second to Napoli in the group stages, any draw would have been a tough one for Liverpool but it seems they have been handed the toughest one with the repeat of the last season’s final. Real and Liverpool seem to have developed a rivalry of sorts, having played against each other in a couple of finals in the past 5 years.

"I know we have played

in a couple of recent finals, but it is not so often that our two clubs have met in a two-legged tie, so now we can look forward to this happening,"

Klopp expressed through Liverpool's website.

"Real's European record is the best around. We know this. But we also know that ours is not too bad. On top of this, we know that we have Anfield and everyone knows what this means.

"It is a really good draw, a really exciting draw. The games themselves are still a few months away, but it does not take a great deal of imagination to think what the atmosphere will be like at both games.

"There is a lot of football to be played before this, of course, so we will focus on each game as it comes. But yes, this draw has given us something special to look forward to."

Los Blancos have faced Liverpool 3 times in the finals and they have won every time. Madrid’s former striker Emilio Butragueno is confident that Ancelotti’s side can handle the pressure of meeting a team like Liverpool at this stage.

"I think that for the world of football, it will be an exciting tie because of the history of the two clubs,"

Butragueno said after the draw.

"They are a very strong rival, who have had a lot of stability in recent years with the same coach and with the same group of players, and that makes it very dangerous.

"At the same time, we are the champions, and we will naturally do everything possible to qualify and return to the draw for the quarter-finals.

"We fully trust our players, they have shown us what they are capable of in moments of maximum pressure."

Follow 

 for the