Champions League: Mane Jealous Of Barcelona Over Coutinho

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has paid tribute to former Reds teammate Philippe Coutinho as he prepares to face him and his Barcelona team in the Champions League.

Mane and Coutinho will be on the opposing side when Barcelona host Liverpool in the first leg of their semifinal tie at the Nou Camp.

Ahead of the game, Mane told reporters how great a player Philippe Coutinho is and that he enjoyed playing with him before the Brazilian swapped Liverpool for Barcelona in January 2018.

Senegalese international Mane admitted to jealousy towards Barcelona over Philippe Coutinho ahead of their first leg meeting on Wednesday night.

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Mane went on to say that he hopes Coutinho would make little or no impact against his former team.

Philippe Coutinho signed for Barcelona for a club-record fee of around an initial fee of £116m but he has failed to show his Liverpool form at his new club until recently.

He made an uncertain start to life at Barcelona before his performances soared in recent weeks including the Champions League quarterfinal tie against Manchester United.

Coutinho scored the goal of the tie in the second leg to wrap up a 3-0 win for Manchester United and a 4-0 aggregate victory.

He will be hoping for a similar impact against another English club in Liverpool whom he knows well from his time at Anfield.