Jordan Henderson has downplayed the return of Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho to Anfield on Tuesday night, as Liverpool look to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.
Former Red Suarez scored the opening goal for Barca against his old side before a brace from Lionel Messi swung the tie in favour of Ernesto Valverde’s side, despite a spirited performance from Liverpool at the Nou Camp.
And Reds captain Henderson revealed there will be “no room for sentiment” when the former Liverpool duo return to their old stomping ground on Tuesday night, the Independent report.
There’s no room for sentiment in football and particularly in contests that mean as much as this one, but it will be great to see Luis Suarez and Phil Coutinho back at Anfield. I have no idea if either will start the game or not, but they’ll be with our visitors and I’m sure for them the emotion of coming back here will be strong, especially as it’s the first time both of them will have played here against Liverpool since leaving the club.
Luis and Phil are friends as well as ex-teammates. Personally speaking, I learned a lot from both when I was lucky enough to share a dressing room with them. Clearly both are very different personalities on the pitch, but both are winners and two of the best footballers on the planet.
Suarez’s emphatic form for Liverpool earned him a £75million move to Barcelona in 2014, while Coutinho departed three-and-a-half years later for a fee in the region of £142million.
