EXCLUSIVE: Former Sparta Prague & Liverpool star Patrik Berger excited to see clubs clash

"I hold both clubs in my heart, but I support Liverpool a little bit more," Berger admits in a wide-ranging interview with Flashscore News.

Were you happy that Sparta were drawn against Liverpool, or did you not want your two favourite clubs to clash?

"Before the draw, I discussed it with my son and we both felt that Sparta would get Liverpool. I'm happy about that. Obviously, they are two clubs I have played for and experienced a lot with, so it's a great draw for me, but I think it's also great for ordinary fans. Those Spartans will get to visit Anfield, see (Jurgen) Klopp and a lot of great players. I'm excited about it."

The Premier League club have been struggling with the absence of star players lately, but it hasn't shown in the results so far. What kind of Liverpool do you think will come to Prague?

"Some of the guys are slowly coming back. I just read that Mohamed Salah has already started training, so he will be available in Prague. I don't think he will play from the start, but he will definitely play some part in the game. However, I have to say that when they played youth, it was not noticeable at all. I was personally at the Carabao Cup final in London and those guys played a fantastic game. You couldn't see any differences."

They got the hang of it quickly, it seems...

"In the academy, they prepare from a certain age just like the first team, so then when a kid gets into the first team, he knows exactly what to do in his position and he fits into the system beautifully, which was evident in the games. The youngsters have shown that they can play against the best players in the world, so the future of the club is in good hands. That's why I don't think anything will change."

After Sparta, Liverpool have a showdown with Manchester City, followed by the FA Cup clash with Manchester United. Will a demanding schedule force Klopp to rest any players?

"I don't think they set priorities and approach it accordingly. They want to win everything, so they don't look at what will happen after Sparta; on the contrary, they go game by game. The first goal was to win the (Carabao Cup) final against Chelsea and they did that. Now the next challenges will come.

"Moreover, (Darwin) Nunez,  (Wataru) Endo, and (Dominik) Szoboszlai are back, and Salah is training, so Klopp's selection of players will expand again. And it's also important to mention that they don't take Sparta as a sure thing; on the contrary, they know very well that they are not bad at all. Those who have seen their games will notice that they play well, they play as a team, they score goals and their results have not been an accident."

It's probably not even in Klopp's mood to think like that. He'd rather say goodbye with as many trophies as possible, wouldn't he?

"That would be a dream! I can't imagine what will happen then because they already want to give him a farewell bus ride across town at the end of the season. That farewell will be huge even if Jurgen doesn't win anything else by the end of the season because he was one of the best and most successful coaches in Liverpool's history. But Klopp is a maximalist and he will ask the players to give everything in every competition and try to win everything."

You were at Liverpool a week ago - is there already a sense of melancholy about Klopp's impending departure?

"It's still early days. When it came out a lot of fans I know were bemoaning it, a lot of people thought it was fake news. Even the timing was strange. People wondered why they were coming out with it at the worst possible time when Liverpool are in the running for the most important trophies.

"In hindsight, you have to admit it was probably the right thing to do because the fans have come to terms with it and it's not even talked about as much now. No one is worried about someone new coming in after the season. Everybody is focused on the end of the season."

Who do you think should be the next Liverpool manager?

"I've seen about nine candidates who could be it, but for me, Xabi Alonso is the hottest. But whoever comes to Liverpool after Klopp will find it terribly difficult, it's the same as when Sir Alex Ferguson left United or Arsene Wenger left Arsenal.

"A coach must come who will not copy Klopp but will have his own style. Xabi is exactly the right type in my opinion, he is doing a great job at Leverkusen - they don't have the same finances as Bayern, but he picks the perfect players for his style and they play nice football.

"That's where I see a big similarity with Klopp - Liverpool also don't have the budget of Chelsea or City, but they can work well and develop players. Plus Xabi has played at the club, he knows the fans and the city. People like him there, which is important."

You've said before that the youngsters from the academy filled in well for the stars, but with Salah unavailable at the time, who did Liverpool count on? Who was the key player?

"Virgil van Dijk has definitely stood out the most recently. The whole axis of the team fell out when Alisson, Salah, Trent (Alexander-Arnold), (Diogo) Jota and others were injured... And that's when Van Dijk took charge and showed he was a huge pillar of the team. In the final against Chelsea, I felt like he didn't even break a sweat on the pitch, yet he won every duel, had every ball. He calmed the young boys down. He showed that he is one of the best in the world."

What is known about Sparta in Liverpool?

"I've only spoken to a couple of English journalists, but I think Liverpool will take it that they're up against a quality opponent. You don't get to the quarter-finals by chance anymore, and as I said, Sparta are playing good football.

"In the last two years, when coach Brian Priske has been with the team, they have started to play modern European football, which was not the case maybe three years ago. Before it was often hard to watch because they were not able to pass the ball ten times, but today, it's completely different. It was evident in the last derby when even Slavia had respect for Sparta."

They didn't want to open up against them...

"Spartan football reminds me a bit of Liverpool. They try to play combinations on the ground from the goalkeeper onwards. They present themselves in a very team-like way, even though they have skilful individuals like Lukas Haraslin or Veljko Birmancevic in their lineup. At the back, they have Ladislav Krejci, who is the leader and engine of the team. Liverpool will not have it easy with them."

Are Haraslin, Birmancevic or Krejci pushing for an interesting transfer abroad?

"I don't know what the transfer policy is there. How much would Sparta even want to let such players go for? That ultimately could be an Achilles heel, because even if the boys have the potential to play in top European leagues, it could fall on finances. But I do not doubt at all that they have what it takes and that they are being watched by foreign scouts. I wouldn't be surprised if offers come in for them."

In Krejci's case, there has been talk in the past of England, Germany and Spain. In your opinion, is he a player for the Premier League?

"He has kicked on and improved incredibly at Sparta. He has won everything he can with the club. He is 24 years old and would definitely like to try some league abroad. Personally, I think it will be high time for him to make the move in the summer, and I think that the Spanish league might not be a bad league for him because the Premier League is faster and even though Lada is a great footballer, he is not as fast as he would like, and there's not much you can do about that. In Spain, with his positional play and strength on the ball, he would definitely be able to do it."

For a long time, it was the other way around, with credit being given mainly to Slavia and Sparta being the ones who didn't play nice football and didn't have success at home or in Europe.

"I sometimes watch the Czech league or cup matches and I have to say that Priske and Rosa (sports director Tomas Rosicky) have done an incredible job over the last two years. Rosa and I talked about it and he told me that they decided to make the football more European and that's why they brought in a foreign coach."

And it has been a hit, hasn't it?

"At the beginning, the results were not ideal, but they trusted him and gave him space. He had an idea, brought in players, got rid of the ones that didn't fit and today you can see it all fitting together beautifully. They're playing nice football, which is nice to watch. They create chances, they score goals, I'm enjoying it."

Do you think it will be the same on Thursday?

"Liverpool will definitely have a harder time in Prague than in the rematch at Anfield. I don't have much idea what kind of lineup Klopp will put out, it will probably include young (Conor) Bradley and (Bobby) Clark, I'm sure he'll want to bring in guys who are coming back from injury, so if Sparta want to get a good result they have to do it right away at Letna. I don't give them many chances at Anfield."

Does it still send shivers down your spine when Anfield fills up and You'll Never Walk Alone starts?

"Of course! I've spent quite a long time there as a player and even when I go there today as a fan I go up to the stands to listen to the anthem, hear the fans singing and I get goosebumps every time.

"On the other hand, for those guys in Sparta, this is exactly the moment they play football for. They want to compete with the best in the world, play in the most beautiful stadiums... They must all be aware that it might be the toughest game of their career, but they are still looking forward to it."

What kind of fan are you?

"Cool... (laughs) I mean, it's a doubleheader and I can't be disappointed after that. I played at Sparta from a young age, then I went back there at the end of my career. I spent seven years in Liverpool and had the biggest successes of my career there. I have both teams in my heart, but I admit that I support Liverpoola bit more."