Jürgen Klopp has warned Villarreal that they cannot prepare for the atmosphere they will experience at Anfield tonight as Liverpool bid to save their season by overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit to reach the Europa League final at the Spanish club’s expense.
Citing the cacophony that inspired Liverpool’s comeback against Borussia Dortmund in the last round, Klopp claimed that only by experiencing Anfield at its most raucous can opponents understand the effect it can have on a game and, given that this is Villarreal’s first visit, he expects them to be unprepared for it.
“For the players, it is just about focusing on the game and doing whatever you can. Fight for your life if you want. It is a wonderful opportunity, nothing else
“If we can create with our game a similar atmosphere as Dortmund then it will be much more difficult for Villarreal than they imagine in this moment,” the Liverpool manager said. “We still feel good despite losing the first game. I don’t think we are through or that we are halfway or something, but I don’t think we are out either.
“It’s not that from now on I always expect wonders from us or the crowd in difficult close games, but against Dortmund we all felt how big the influence is of an outstanding atmosphere. For the players, it is just about focusing on the game and doing whatever you can. Fight for your life if you want. It is a wonderful opportunity, nothing else.”
Klopp’s biggest selection dilemma will again centre on Daniel Sturridge, who was an unused substitute in last week’s first leg. He must decide whether he needs the forward’s firepower as Liverpool look to overturn a deficit or whether it is better to repeat the compact team structure that prevented Villarreal from dominating at home.
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“Yes, it could be a game for him 100 per cent, but I have made no decision until now for the line-up,” Klopp said. “So I have to think about all these thoughts, how we react, and in all these thoughts Daniel Sturridge is 100 per cent involved.
“If you see the season Villarreal are having you will know they are very stable but usually have more opportunities and dominance than they had in the first leg so we did well in that game. We didn’t do well enough to get the result but we did well enough to feel confident still and that’s all I need.
“The situation ahead of this game is everybody maybe expects that from the very first second that we need to be on fire and things like this and we will press them in their own half. A lot of things are possible and I don’t want to talk too much about what we do tomorrow because hopefully we can surprise them, but it is about playing smart.”
With Liverpool lying eighth in the Premier League and with no domestic honours left to pursue, the Europa League is their only possibility of turning a difficult season into a successful one, as Dejan Lovren acknowledged.
“It would be a dream come true, and we can save this season with the final, but at the end we still have to play this game — it’s a big step and we need to be concentrated on that,” the defender said. “We have been disappointed when we lost the goal in the last minute of the first leg but in the end if you want to win you need to score.
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“The fans know that with Liverpool everything is possible. I think Borussia Dortmund were one of the best teams in the Europa League and we won. We showed our character, we showed that we will never stop believing until the last minute. It will be a great season for us if we can go to the final and win it.”
Liverpool (possible 4-2-3-1): S Mignolet — N Clyne, Lucas, D Lovren, A Moreno — J Milner, E Can — A Lallana, R Firmino, P Coutinho — D Sturridge.
Villarreal (possible 4-4-2): A Aréola — M Gaspar, E Bailly, V Ruiz, A Rukavina — D Suárez, M Trigueros, B Soriano, S Castillejo — C Bakambu, R Soldado.
Referee: V Kassia (Hungary).