Struggling Bundesliga giants travel Anfield to face former opponent Klopp’s in-form Liverpool side in round of 16 first leg
Bayern Munich knows all too well how tough an opponent Juergen Klopp can be.
Now in his fourth season at Anfield, the former Borussia Dortmund coach is facing Bayern for the first time while leading Liverpool.
Bayern visits Liverpool for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 game on Tuesday, mindful that it didn't always come out on top against Klopp during his time at Dortmund.
While Bayern defeated Klopp's Dortmund side in the 2013 Champions League final, Klopp had the upper hand in the 2012 German Cup final, which Dortmund won 5-2. Klopp also led Dortmund to successive league titles at Bayern's expense in 2011 and 2012.
"Personally I like Juergen Klopp a lot," said Bayern president Uli Hoeness, who revealed that he almost signed Klopp to take over before the club decided on Jurgen Klinsmann in 2008.
Liverpool has not lost a European match at Anfield since the 3-0 group stage defeat to Real Madrid in 2014 and Bayern has questions over its defense ahead of its trip.
The Bavarian powerhouse conceded twice to relegation-threatened Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Friday, when Leon Goretzka scored an own-goal after just 13 seconds - the quickest own-goal in 56 years of the league. Bayern won 3-2.
"We'll have to deliver a whole other performance on the day, especially in defense," Bayern coach Niko Kovac said, warning of the danger posed by "the three up front," referring to Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool also had the luxury of a week without a game before Bayern's visit, due to its early FA Cup exit. The team spent four days at a training camp in Marbella, Spain.
"Our little preparation for the rest of the season," Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said.
Bayern winger Kingsley Coman is an option for Kovac after fears of an injury sustained in Augsburg proved unfounded. Coman scored twice, set up David Alaba's winner and struck the crossbar in Augsburg, while he also underlined his growing importance to the side with the winning goal against Hertha Berlin in the German Cup.
Liverpool will have to cope without central defender Virgil van Dijk as he serves a UEFA suspension for the first leg. Klopp faces the prospect of having to deploy midfielder Fabinho alongside Joel Matip with Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren both injured.
While Liverpool is accustomed to deep runs in Europe - winning the Champions League in 2005 and reaching the final in 2007 and last season — the club has not won the English league since 1990.