Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho has warned Barcelona that they cannot afford to focus their attentions on Liverpool’s front three.

The Reds take on Barca at the Nou Camp in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night.

The clash is the first time Coutinho will face off against his former club since his £140m switch in January 2018.

Liverpool have kicked on in the Brazilian’s absence, reaching the Champions League final last term and fighting for the Premier League crown this season, alongside their fine European form.

The front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino has again been at the centre of Liverpool’s success but Coutinho had a warning for his teammates.

“We will have to be aware of the whole team and do our job as we have been doing recently, keep our shape on the field and put in a good performance.”

Coutinho is looking forward to the prospect of facing off against his former employers, reports the Mirror.

“I spent five years at Liverpool and I was very happy there, but now I am wearing a different shirt, different colours, so it’s going to be a special game and I hope we can do our best,” he added.

Speaking ahead of the clash, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp insists his side still miss Coutinho.

“Yes, we miss Phil Coutinho a lot. He is a world class player. I loved working together with him, but we had to deal without him and we did well. That’s all I can say,” he said.

“When I first heard he wanted to go to Barcelona , I can’t imagine we were that good with it. But all good for both sides.”