Tuesday 7 May 2019 07:16, UK
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez insists he won't celebrate if he scores against Liverpool at Anfield and expects more "applause than whistles" on his return to Merseyside.
Suarez returns to his former club on Tuesday night for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.
Barcelona lead 3-0 from the first leg at the Nou Camp and Suarez received criticism from some Liverpool supporters for celebrating after scoring the opening goal.
The Uruguay international insists he won't celebrate at Anfield and believes most Liverpool fans understand his reasons for doing so in the first leg.
He said: "People who know about football know the importance of the goal I scored in the Champions League semi-final.
"I have all the respect in the world for the Liverpool fans. Because I scored it and celebrated it with my fans, I say sorry.
"I am very thankful to Liverpool, to the fans and to the club, and obviously it's clear that if I score a goal against Liverpool [at Anfield] I won't celebrate it. The same way I didn't do in Holland when I scored [for Ajax against Groningen]."
Suarez scored 82 goals in three-and-a-half seasons with Liverpool and the Uruguayan expects the majority of fans to welcome him back to Anfield.
"People know the work that I did here," he said.
"I am thankful to the club. I think there will be more applause than whistles and I think if people want to whistle and it makes them happy… there will perhaps be quite a few that aren't happy.
"But I think people will be more thankful and grateful. There were people in the kitchen waiting to give me a present for my children.
"I think the love and warmth is still there for me."
Liverpool will be without Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino for the second leg after both were ruled out through injury.
However, Suarez insists the Reds are still capable of causing an upset without two of their first-choice forwards.
"You have to be conscious from the first second, they are going to come out and put us under pressure," he said. "We cannot give away silly fouls. They have fast players who can make the difference.
"[The Anfield atmosphere] is an added extra for them. If you are not on your game for a second things can change."
