“With the energy and the support, anything is possible in the game,” Brendan Rodgers

Q: Do you have to win the first leg to have any chance of progressing?

“We don’t have to, but you want to. I think that would be the message. Obviously we know going over to Germany in the second leg is always the challenge of being away from home, but I think we would want to. That’s our mindset looking into the game, looking to win the game to see if we can take an advantage across next week.

How much do you rate Harry Kane?

Brendan Rodgers: “Oh, he’s absolutely brilliant. Obviously I’ve known Harry for a long time and come across him many times. Harry’s actually one of them ones that until you’re stood on the side of the pitch and you face him, you actually only really, really then see his level. I know as a young player he came through the system at Tottenham. It wasn’t easy for him at the beginning. He had lots of loans getting out to clubs, didn’t quite work out. Then he was given the opportunity by Tim Sherwood at Tottenham. From that, Tim had belief in him and worked with him as a young player. Then once he got into the team, his development just increased from that. You look at him now, he’s a world class player. He’s changed his game up a bit as well in the last number of years. He’s on the move more, dropping short. You see his passing, you see his abilities, but he’s also tough.

“I can’t speak highly enough of him. I think he was absolutely brilliant at Tottenham. He showed the same for England and gone out to Bayern. You just need to look at his goal record. He’s a fantastic player and a good guy.”

Q: Kasper’s played against him a lot as well. Does that help at all when you’re up against these kind of elite players and trying to cope with them?

Brendan Rodgers: “I always think with top players, you look tactically to find ways and that’s the beauty of the game. You’re trying to nullify the strengths. But I sometimes think with the very best players, you want to deny them space, but they always find space. That’s my experience of working at a level where the world class players will find the space. I think he’s one of those. But of course we have to nullify that threat. They have other quality players. And bring our game as well, which I’ve been really pleased with as well.”

Q: Just on the news that Daizen Maeda is available tomorrow, it’s obviously great news for you, but how difficult a decision is it to decide if he plays, where to play tomorrow, given how informed he’s been in both those positions?

Brendan Rodgers: “It’s been pretty straightforward. Just having him available was the most important thing.”

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