Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder has defended Liverpool after they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Dutch champions face Liverpool on home soil tonight looking to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
Liverpool defeated Ajax at Anfield earlier this season and the Dutch champions want retribution tonight.
Schreuder was quizzed on Liverpool’s current form on the back of their defeat to Forest last time out.
The boss was pretty disrespectful to Forest and shrugged off the fact that Liverpool might be suffering a mini-crisis.
He told the Liverpool Echo: “They’re still a top team. Yes, they lost to Nottingham Forest, but they could have won by four or five.
“This game against Nottingham, they could have 6-1 but just didn’t have luck on their side.”
Taiwo Awoniyi scored the only goal on Saturday against his former club.
Forest weren’t quite as lucky as the Ajax boss has made out though and the Reds could have scored three in the first half.
Jesse Lingard and Cheikhou Kouyate both had shots saved by Alisson during the opening 45 minutes.
In the second half, Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson both had chances after Awoniyi had scored.
Forest were well worth three points and perhaps Schreuder needs to take a closer look at the tape from Saturday.
Schreuder defended Liverpool despite Forest defeat
There is no way on this earth that Liverpool could have beaten Forest 6-1 on Saturday.
It simply wasn’t that sort of game and Forest were arguably the better team throughout the 90 minutes.
The Reds certainly worked harder than Liverpool and that will give the Ajax boss hope for tonight.
Liverpool were poor by their standards on Saturday.
They turned up like a turn who expected to win before a ball was even kicked, which you can never do in the Premier League.
Now, it will be fascinating to see whether the Reds respond against Ajax this evening.