Andy Robertson tackled a range of questions as he faced the media in a pre-match press conference to preview Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Manchester City.

The Scot was quizzed on a variety of subjects, including who he believes should win the Premier League’s Player of the Season accolade, the difficulty in thwarting the considerable attacking threat of Pep Guardiola’s side and how the Reds will look to approach the first leg of the contest.

Read on for a summary of what Robertson had to say at Anfield…

On whether Mohamed Salah or Kevin de Bruyne should be the Player of the Year…

Well I would give it to Mo, of course, just because I work with him, day in, day out. That’s not taking anything away from the fact De Bruyne is a world-class player; this season he has been sensational and been key to what Man City have done, in the league especially. They are two world-class players going for the trophy and whoever wins it will be a deserved winner, but obviously for me I’m going to say Mo.

On the key to stopping Manchester City…

I think it [the 4-3 win] was probably our most complete performance of the season. Yes, the last 10 minutes were a wee bit shakier than we would have wanted after going 4-1 up, but it was a good performance from us. We managed to press them all over the field, defensively we were spot on and we took our chances when they came to us at key moments. I think that was the key and of course that will be the key tomorrow for both teams - when chances fall to you, you have to take them. Hopefully more chances fall to us and we’re clinical up top. If we can do that, hopefully we’ll have a win going into next week.

On the Anfield factor and how the atmosphere can help…

Everyone knows that Liverpool fans take to the Champions League very well, it’s always well supported and that’s when they create the most famous atmospheres. Premier League, week in, week out, they’re brilliant – but for Champions League, they take it up a level. I’m sure that will be the case tomorrow night and they will create an atmosphere that helps us, that we can use to our advantage and we can give them things to cheer about.

On the difference between a year ago when he was battling relegation with Hull and now…

I’d rather be playing in this game than in the games last year when we were battling for our lives [at Hull], that’s an obvious answer. When you’re fighting relegation, you have so many things riding on it – you’re dropping down a league, people lose their jobs, contracts and stuff like that. In these things, it’s all for benefit – you’re trying to be one of four teams left in the Champions League. It’s a big difference of course, it’s on a much bigger scale, but it’s for the better. We’re playing in the Champions League, it’s a massive game for us and we have the potential to be in the semi-final.

On whether he’s studied Man City’s attacking threat…

Of course, you need to look out for your opponent, you need to know who you’re up against and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a team we’ll look at it, and individually too of course, but as a team we need to work together, work in twos and threes and try and get the ball back as quickly as we can, double up on people we need to double up on in defensive situations and if we can do that, keep their top players quiet, get our top players in the game and let them create the chances like they’ve done all season, then hopefully we can come out on top and have a lead going to the Etihad.

On whether Liverpool have anything to be ‘afraid of’…

No, I don’t think we will be afraid. They won’t be afraid of us and we won’t be afraid of them. Yes, they’ve been the best team in the league this season, undoubtedly, and they’re going to win the league. But, it’s two games - a one-off in the Champions League, we have every right to be in the quarter-finals, just as they do. It’ll be a big occasion, but we’ll look forward to it. We won’t fear it, but we’ll be cautious of their strengths.

On dealing with City’s attack from the right…

All over, Man City as a team and their movement is a joy to watch at times. As a defender, you need to be aware of that, you need to be aware of where your man is at all times and where he is trying to get to. If we can do that and focus on where they’re going then hopefully we’re first there and can stop the ball coming, or get a block in. Also, we’ll hopefully be attacking a lot as well and can push them back into areas they don’t want to go, so you can look at it two ways, but we’ll definitely be analysing their strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully that’s enough on the day and we can stop them from playing the football they want to play.

On the mentality Liverpool will approach both legs with…

Whether we get through the two legs with high-scoring games or we get through with a 1-0 aggregate win, we’re just looking to get through. We believe this season that game by game we’ve been getting better and better defensively and attacking-wise and hopefully we can show that. We’ll be trying to keep it shut at the back, Loris will be trying to keep a clean sheet and if you keep them at zero, you’ve more of a chance of getting through. We’ll be looking to do that, but we’ve also got to create chances and score goals. We’ll have a game-plan over the two legs and hopefully that’s enough to get us through.

On whether he believes Liverpool are improving defensively…

I genuinely do, yes. It’s small mistakes that happen. I’m sure the City defence have made mistakes this season, but maybe they don’t get highlighted as much as ours do. Don’t get me wrong, we conceded a goal [at Palace on Saturday] and it came from a mistake – there was probably more than one mistake in it – but it was all about rectifying it and we won the game 2-1. That’s what we’ve got to focus on – that we won the game - and if we win these two games then we’re through. We’ll be looking to not make mistakes, but if we do and still win the two games then we’ll be through to the semi-finals.

On whether Man City will feel 'pressure' because of the focus on them given their outstanding form…

Man City are going to be Premier League champions – they only need one more win. They’ve been the best team in our league this season, hands down. They’re going for trophies and that can maybe give them a wee bit of added pressure, but Champions League is completely different. We’re in the quarter-finals and don’t feel as though we’re lucky to be here. We deserve to be here. We’ve played the same amount of games as they have and we’re at the same point. We’re looking to get through and maybe you could say there is a little bit more pressure if they know they are the best team in the league. They’re playing against the team who are third, so maybe there's a wee bit more pressure on them. But we can hopefully use that to our advantage and if you want to say we’re underdogs then so be it.

On whether City’s attacking threat will make him ‘think twice’ about going forward…

I don’t think it makes me think twice about going forward; if there’s a chance to go forward then I’ll be going forward to try and create a chance. Me and Sadio will probably be on that side and if that’s the case then hopefully we’ll cause them problems going back the other way. We’ll need to be switched on defensively, you always have to be whoever you’re playing against. We’ll hopefully deal with that and get back into our formation quite quickly if we break down, but at the end of the day we’re at home and we need to create chances and try and get the fans behind us, which they will be. The way to do that is to create chances and try and score a couple of goals. Hopefully we can do that and if I can help getting forward and create chances then that’s what I’ll do.