Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Villarreal will have a much tougher time of it at Anfield than they did on their home turf ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second-leg clash.
The Reds set up their clash with the La Liga side in the last four after a gargantuan comeback in the quarter-finals against Borussia Dortmund at Anfield.
The stadium was rocking as Dejan Lovren scored an injury-time winner after the Reds had trailed 2-0 and 3-1 on the night, needing to win the match inside 90 minutes to go through.
And Klopp is well aware of the power the Kop and its surrounding stands can have on a match, hoping it can have a similar effect as they trail 1-0 against Villarreal from the first leg.
“I do not know what they know about Anfield,” Klopp told reporters. “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.
“They scored in the last minute of the game to make it 1-0. If they did not celebrate there would have to be something wrong [with them]. It’s more about when my colleague (Villarreal boss Marcelino) said after the game that 1-0 was the result he dreamed of.
“It’s not that I always from now on expect wonders from us or the crowd in difficult close games, but we all felt how big the influence is of an outstanding atmosphere. In this week of wonderful weather on Merseyside everybody could be in the perfect mood.”
A win at Anfield would be the second time in as many Europa League ties that Liverpool have come from behind to win in front of their home fans after they edged Klopp’s former club Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.
Anfield was rocking that night and Klopp hopes for more of the same on Thursday.
“I don’t have enough words for this,” said Klopp of the Anfield atmosphere.
“It’s one of the things in life you cannot buy.
“Feelings things like this are special. These moments when you really know we are all together.
“It’s not only the crowd in the stadium. I saw a few videos of our fans celebrating our fourth goal [against Dortmund].
“I don’t want to make it too big. It’s only football, I know. But it’s a moment for the whole Liverpool world and fans around the world. Everyone will watch it.”
This evening is Liverpool’s first European semi-final tie at Anfield since 2010 and could be the first time they reach a final in Europe since 2007, when they lost to AC Milan in the Champions League in Athens.
Reaching the final, would be the culmination of Klopp’s impact in his first season in charge.
An eighth-place finish in the Premier League is likely but his achievements in the cup competitions, having lost in the Capital One Cup final to Manchester City already, deserve praise.
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