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Philippe Coutinho admitted that facing the old enemies of Manchester United gave him extra motivation as Barcelona prepared to face the Reds in the Champions League.
The two teams will face each other in the first leg of their quarter-final at Old Trafford on Wednesday, and Coutinho admitted that his ties with the former Liverpool club would probably bring him a hostile welcome to himself and Luis Suarez on their return to Manchester.
Coutinho, however, confessed, quoted by the Mirror: "If they raise us and Luis Suarez, it's normal for Old Trafford because of the team we were playing for before, but that will not change anything." for me.
"And even more than that, it's an incentive to play better and to be even more focused.I know the matches against Manchester United are special.I learned what they meant during my stay in Liverpool while we lived so intensely with the fans.
"I have this in mind and, even if it is a different step, if Barcelona excluded United from Europe, it would be a double personal satisfaction for me. "
Coutinho suggested that Liverpool fans will support Barcelona to eliminate their big rivals. However, if Barcelona and Liverpool qualify for their respective quarter-finals, they will be opposed in the last four.
This would allow Coutinho to line up against his former club, if Liverpool crossed Porto, and the Brazilian said: "I know that Liverpool fans will be with us at United.
"But they know that later on we could see them at Anfield and then, of course, I'll be there with Barcelona wanting to win.It would be a dream to play Anfield, an explosion of different feelings, I'm sure.
"But I must be honest and say that I would have preferred to meet Liverpool only in the final.
"The tie is difficult," Coutinho said of the forthcoming Barcelona match against United. "They have already shown what they could do by eliminating PSG and I think most people would say that the tie is 50-50.
"Playing Old Trafford is one of the best thrills a footballer can have, the atmosphere and story is incredible and if you get a positive result, then it's very special.
"I do not have any particular advice for my team-mates because Barcelona has a habit of playing these big games and playing the second draw at home – everyone wants to win this game, not just me.
"In almost five seasons with Liverpool, I've had positive and negative results here, so I do not really think about the past, I only think about the present and the elimination of United."
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