Girona boss Michel has been dreaming of facing Liverpool since his playing days, saying the Champions League clash is a ‘dream’ tie for him.
The La Liga side face a tough test against Arne Slot’s team which sits top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables.
In contrast, Girona are struggling domestically and in Europe, currently ninth in La Liga and 30th out of 36 in the new Champions League format.
Michel is excited for the challenge, though, with the 49-year-old saying that when he played for Rayo Vallecano it was always the dream to take on the Reds in Europe.
‘It means a lot to me,’ he said. ‘At Rayo I always sang “next year Rayo-Liverpool” and it was a dream.
‘After qualifying for the Champions League, they were an opponent I wanted. Playing at Anfield or here is the same, it’s a dream for everyone.’
Girona are playing in the Champions League for the first time this season after the remarkable rise under Michel since he took charge in July 2021.
The team were in the Segunda Division when he took over, promoted in his first season in charge and finishing third in La Liga in 2023/24.
This campaign has been more of a struggle so far as they cope with the demands of the Champions League, but Michel remains a very highly-rated coach.
He too has been impressed by Liverpool under Arne Slot as the Dutchman’s brilliant start to life with the Reds continues.
‘They dominate all the concepts of the game. Their game is very dynamic, they change structure at any moment and they have players with top intensity and pressure,’ he said of Tuesday night’s opponents.
‘If you get behind them they are capable of winning duels… if they are in a low block they are capable of defending the area because they are strong in the air.
‘We will have to run more than ever. But it can be done, of course. They dominate everything and that’s why we have to think about ourselves, be ourselves and give the best version of ourselves.’
Liverpool go into the match in a very strong position and having had the weekend off as the Merseyside derby was cancelled due to safety concerns during Storm Darragh.
Slot has confirmed that he will not be making a string of changes to his side, though, and will field a strong team in Spain.
‘Now everyone is really fit because we skipped the game on Saturday. There’s no reason to rotate from the last match,’ he said.
‘Maybe there’s a reason for the upcoming match, but there’s also three days between that one. We will start, like all the other games we’ve started with, with a very good team tomorrow.’