The Liverpool boss has hailed the duo’s physical attributes, but has warned his men that there’s more to Madrid than just the two attackers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has voiced his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale ahead of this weekend’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid and believes the duo could have been successful Olympic athletes had they pursued a different career.

The Premier League side are desperate for a good result at Anfield on Wednesday after their shock defeat against Basel on matchday two, but Rodgers realises it will not be easy for Liverpool due to the abundance of individual quality at Madrid.

“Real Madrid have amazing talents all over the field and they have the technique to play in small spaces and when the space opens up there is no one better on the counter attack because in Ronaldo and Bale, they have two players who could be in the Olympic 100 metres final,” Rodgers told AS.

“Ronaldo is an amazing player, his evolution over the last few years into becoming a goal scorer has been incredible.

“Of course he is a player that you have to focus on but the team as a whole is incredible. You have [Luka] Modric, [Toni] Kroos, wonderful technicians who can play short and long.

“I’m also a big admirer of Sergio Ramos since his young days at Sevilla where he came through the system before making a move and then making over 100 caps for Spain. It’s an incredible achievement. He is fast and he is strong and he has personality. I like him a lot.”

Madrid currently top Group B with six points from two games, while Liverpool sit joint second on three points.