- Title: Milojevic says Liverpool are favourites as Red Star prepare to host Liverpool
- Date: 5th November 2018
- Summary: BELGRADE, SERBIA (NOVEMBER 5, 2018) (REUTERS) RED STAR COACH VLADAN MILOJEVIC AND MIDFIELDER MARKO MARIN ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) RED STAR COACH VLADAN MILOJEVIC SAYING: "Liverpool are the favourites. It is a very tough group, we knew that right from the start, but we are ready and will do our best as we did in previous games. This is the attitude my players have, we will see if that will be enough. I don't want to talk too much but all praise to Liverpool, whether I talk about coach (Juergen) Klopp or the players. Liverpool is a world class team and there is nothing more that should be said, by saying what I am saying I said it all." LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UK (OCTOBER 23, 2018) (REUTERS) XERIDAN SHAQIRI (RIGHT) WITH JAMES MILNER BASEL, SWITZERLAND (NOVEMBER 11, 2017) (REUTERS) SHAQIRI TRAINING WITH SWITZERLAND
- Embargoed: 19th November 2018 14:11
- Keywords: Soccer Champions Red Star Belgrade Liverpool Shaqiri
- Location: BELGRADE, SERBIA / LIVERPOOL, UK / KALININGRAD, RUSSIA / BASEL, SWITZERLAND
- City: BELGRADE, SERBIA / LIVERPOOL, UK / KALININGRAD, RUSSIA / BASEL, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Serbia
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001958BWAN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Red Star Belgrade coach Vladan Milojevic said on Monday (November 5) that Liverpool go into their Champions League tie as favourites.
Liverpool beat Red Star 4-0 at Anfield in a fixture between the sides last month to move top of Group C on six points. Red Star have one point after three matches in a pool that also includes Paris St. Germain and Napoli.
"Liverpool are the favourites but we are ready and will do our best as we did in previous games," told a news conference in Belgrade ahead of Tuesday's Champions League tie.
"Liverpool is a world class team and there is nothing more that should be said," he added.
Milojevic said he could not comment on Liverpool's decision to leave Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri out of their squad. The English club said they were uncertain over what sort of reception he would receive in the Serbian capital.
Shaqiri, an ethnic Albanian of Kosovar heritage, scored the winning goal for Switzerland when they beat Serbia 2-1 at the World Cup in June and celebrated with a gesture which appeared to imitate the eagle displayed on Albania's flag.
Serbia refuses to recognise the independence of its former province Kosovo, whose 1.8 million people are mostly ethnic Albanians, which broke away 10 years ago.
FIFA fined Shaqiri 10,000 Swiss francs ($9,951.24) for the gesture, along with team mate Granit Xhaka, another ethnic Albanian of Kosovar heritage, who scored Switzerland's equaliser in the same game and celebrated with a similar signal.
Shaqiri denied his celebration had political overtones.
($1 = 1.0049 Swiss francs) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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