Bayern Munich defender Joshua Kimmich has said that Liverpool are "the favourites" to advance from their last-16 tie in the Champions League.
Bayern will visit Anfield for the first leg of their knockout-round tie on Tuesday night, before the reverse match at the Allianz Arena next month.
Liverpool have been flying in the Premier League this season, but Bayern's Bundesliga form has been inconsistent, dropping points in seven of their 22 matches.
Kimmich has admitted that Bayern "are not as consistent as before" and has therefore placed Liverpool as "the favourites" to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.
"Liverpool are the favourites," Kimmich told The Telegraph. "They have lost one league game all season and have let in only 15 goals. But when you look at us, we are not as consistent as before.
"Now, it's a bit different. It's a chance to develop, to find new ways to success. We are close to Dortmund, in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal, and still in the Champions League. So, not everything's bad. But we need to improve our style of playing before we can compare to the best teams in Europe."
Bayern have not won the Champions League since 2013, while Liverpool will be looking to go one better this season having reached the final of the 2017-18 competition before losing to Real Madrid.
Matt Law
