Priske: We have never faced an opposition like Liverpool

Sparta Prague manager Brian Priske conceded that his team were nowhere near the standard required to compete with Liverpool.

Already out of the tie after losing 5-1 at home last week, it was all about respectability for the Czech outfit heading into the second leg, however they were blitzed in the opening 15 minutes at Anfield conceding four goals in the opening 14 minutes and  Football. historians scrambling for their record books for the greatest aggregate scoreline in European club competition.

While the 21-0 scoreline registered by Chelsea against Jeunesse Hautcharage in the first round of the  1971/72 Cup Winners Cup and a year later by Feyenoord against Rumelage in the 1st round of the UEFA Cup was never threatened, this 11-2 aggregate win for the Reds was their biggest in over four decades equalling their result against Finnish side Oulun Palloseura in the first round of the European Cup in the 1980-81 season.

Just like last week, this tie served as the perfect tune-up for another big game on the weekend, this time it is against Manchester United in the quarter finals of the FA Cup.

Before that at lunchtime today comes the quarter-final draw for the Europa League which could see the Reds draw familiar foes in West Ham, Roma, AC Milan or intriguingly a clash with a team and manager that is taking all before them in Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.

But according to the former Danish international and Portsmouth defender, there is no doubt in his mind about who they should be fearing the most as the Echo reported.

“We faced a world-class team, big respect to Liverpool how they played these two legs, how they approached the game,” he said. “They put in the pure quality they have. We are disappointed in the personal mistakes that we made both in the first game and definitely also here in first 20 minutes. But we faced a world-class team here again.

“We have never faced anything like this. Liverpool is a Champions League team and should be in the Champions League. They may be Premier League winners in two months. Big respect to the players of Liverpool and the coaching staff.”

While Sporta are certainly not without their own European pedigree, being part of this competition frequently over the past decade, Priske was unequivocal in not wanting to compare previous opponents to this Reds outfit.

“I hope people don’t measure the team on these two games – it’s a completely different level to what we’ve played against this season. We’ve played good teams like Rangers and Galatasaray but to Liverpool is just a complete new different level.”