Dejan Lovren insists that Liverpool will not repeat their heroics against Borussia Dortmund during tomorrow’s Europa League semi-final with Villarreal.
Lovren scored the dramatic late goal that ultimately saw off Dortmund in the previous round and another fightback will be required if the Reds are to overcome their Spanish counterparts, leading 1-0 from the first leg.
But the Croatian international has warned that Liverpool are unlikely to deliver a repeat performance against the Yellow Submarine, ahead of the highly-anticipated clash.
He said: “We have great players, great characters in the team [but] I think it will not be the same game against Dortmund.
“I still even think now that Dortmund was one of the best teams in the Europa League and we beat them. It will definitely be a tough game.
“Villarreal is a really good compact team, really good individual players and a perfect counter-attacking team, (facing them) is a big step we must take to get to the final.”
Fans are set to line the route outside Anfield to welcome Jurgen Klopp’s side, as they did in the previous round against Dortmund.
And Lovren admits that the unified display of passion was a unique experience for both he and his Liverpool team mates.
“To be honest I was surprised because I never saw that before,” he added
“I took my phone in the bus and took some pictures and some of the other lads also. It was amazing.
“Our fans are our 12th player during the game, during the 90 minutes so, with them, everything is possible.”