Jurgen Klopp has admitted he admires Real Madrid’s mentality as a team.

The Liverpool boss made this known while speaking at a pre-match press conference, ahead of his side’s UEFA Champions League round-of-16 second leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.

At the presser, Fabinho said Madrid players can ‘smell blood’, to which Klopp agreed, saying: “Fabinho is right – Madrid can absolutely smell the blood.

“They don’t lose the conviction or confidence, they are 2-0 down [at Anfield] and nobody sees a difference. It’s a massive skill from a team, they [have] won so much in the last years that nothing can really excite them in a negative way, so that [is] something which is absolutely to admire, but apart from that, how to win.

“OK, I didn’t win that many games, but how to win a football game, I won a few games, so I think I know how that goes, it’s not about that. The way Madrid plays, we play different, we defend different, we attack different, so it’s more about the mentality… Madrid have all my respect, absolutely, fantastic team, for the generation that is. The players on the pitch [are] five, six, seven times the Champions League winners.

“It’s absolutely crazy and still running, still going, Luka Modric keeps playing probably until he is 45, or something like that. Toni Kroos is only past 30 now, or something like that, so incredible players. Karim Benzema looks like he can play three [or] four other seasons and all these kind of things. Bringing young players, wow, Tchouameni and all the boys.

“It is a good team and obviously a pretty good club but apart from that we got a few lessons… we lost big finals, but we play some good games against them. I don’t think I learned a lot, but it was how it always is, it makes you stronger if you go through tough times and Madrid gave me a few tough moments, so all good, I could take out of it what I needed.”