Emre Can has revealed that he's warned his Liverpool teammates that FC Augsburg will pose a real threat to their hopes of reaching the next round of the Europa League.
The midfielder, speaking ahead of their Thursday night clash with the Bundesliga outfit, has gone head-to-head with Die Fuggerstädter on numerous other occasions having previously played in his home country.
With Can part of the travelling squad that has flown to Germany for the first-leg of their Last 32 tie with Augsburg, the No.23 explained that the Reds' opponents will be well up for what has been dubbed the biggest game in their history by their own social media accounts.
Though they've struggled since finishing fifth to qualify for a European competition for the first time in the club's history, Can says they cannot afford to underestimate Augsburg.
Reds can't take Augsburg lightly, says Can
Speaking at the pre-match press conference the day before the game, he explained that he's told his teammates that they are coming up against "a really good team" who are "very strong and play together as a team" and said they will pose "a real challenge."
"We know they've got a very good, strong team, so we're prepared for them," said the Germany international, who had insisted that they have "not made it this far in the Europa League by sheer luck" to local media beforehand.
But the ex-Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen man did admit that a number of his teammates have asked where Augsburg is, before saying that the club are aiming to win the competition - as is their aim in every tournament they play in.
Midfielder hoping to continue good run vs. Augsburg
This marks the 22-year-old's first return to Germany in continental competition with Liverpool since joining the club in the summer of 2014 and after being asked to recollect, Can responded that he has got "very good memories" of playing Augsburg - insisting: "I've played against them twice and we won both games, and I scored."
Can registered just his third goal in all competitions in red at the weekend as Klopp's side ran a substandard Aston Villa team ragged on the way to a 6-0 away win in the Barclays Premier League.
The towering central midfielder believes that he's progressing well, describing that "everything is going really well" and he's "developing as a player and working very hard" under Klopp.
Can could be part of a strong side at the WWK Arena on Thursday, with the manager expected to pursue a first-leg lead in order to rest a number of key first-team members, with the second-leg just days before the Capital One Cup final.
The Reds will be without Adam Lallana and Kevin Stewart, who remain out with calf and ankle injuries, although Lucas Leiva is back in contention following a hamstring injury.