Benfica winger Everton has spoken about how he will be looking to “exploit” Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate when he comes up against Liverpool tonight.
The Reds take on Benfica at Anfield in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, with Jurgen Klopp’s side having already registered a 3-1 win at the Estadio da Luz. Goals from Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz added to Konate ’s opener in the vital away win.
However, it was a mistake from the French defender that allowed Darwin Nunez to get on the scoresheet. Ahead of tonight’s game at Anfield, Benfica’s left-winger Everton has explained how he intends to take advantage of the Liverpool defence.
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The Brazil international will come up against the right side of Liverpool ’s backline once again, having been a virtual ever-present on Benfica’s left flank this season. And the 26-year-old has been doing his homework on Jurgen Klopp’s side as his team look to overturn their two-goal deficit.
“I’ve been trying to study the opponent after the first game, looking to better analyse the individual qualities of Alexander-Arnold and Konate,” Everton said in his pre-match press conference, as reported by the Mirror . “I have tried to see where they have difficulties, the weak point, so that I can exploit and have a happy night, to give joy to the fans.”
Though Alexander-Arnold ’s defensive capabilities continue to be questioned by some casual onlookers, Liverpool have conceded just 26 goals across 37 games when the England international has been in the side this season. While his 18 assists from right-back make the 23-year-old almost peerless in an attacking sense .
In terms of Benfica, much of the focus has been centred around the threat of Darwin Nunez, who has scored 31 goals so far this season, with right-winger Rafa Silva ruled out through injury. Caretaker boss Nelson Verissimo has said his side are aiming to cause an upset at Anfield, despite Silva being unavailable.
He explaiend: "We are sorry for his absence but we have a lot of confidence in the rest of the squad. We go (to Anfield) with the natural ambition of someone who believes a lot in what he is doing. We know that we are two goals down but we believe that things can change, especially if we score a goal first.
"We’re going with that ambition, despite having lost the first leg. After the analysis we did, we realise that despite the difficulty we know we’re going to encounter, we have to believe.”
