Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool will face a ‘more dangerous than before’ Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga champions head into Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 tie resurgent after closing the gap on Borussia Dortmund to two points.
Niko Kovac’s side endured a difficult start to the season but are now going strong in both their bid to reclaim the title and the German Cup’s latter stages.
Although the Reds have been installed as favourites ahead of their first leg encounter, Klopp is wary of the threat that his former nemesis still poses.
He said: “After six years as the dominator of the league, it was clear this would be a more difficult year.
“They are two points behind Dortmund, they play Dortmund at home, they’re in the cup in the Champions League last 16. It’s a completely normal situation.
“With a huge quality team, you need to have the desire of a newcomer combined with the quality of a real contender.
“Maybe in the beginning of the season they didn’t have that but the situation from my point of view makes them even more dangerous than before.
“We cannot think about it any different way. We had a few tough months in the season. It’s always tough and we have to be ready for that.
“We have to be focused 100 per cent on the game tomorrow night.”