Klopp eager to keep ‘unbelievable’ record rolling against Napoli

When Pep Guardiola pointed at the Premier League and Champions League trophies at the Football Writers’ Association dinner last weekend and suggested he and Jurgen Klopp swap silverware, it was not entirely in jest.

Guardiola’s City reign would be elevated by European conquest. Liverpool are the only club in Europe where – this season at least – the celebrations for winning their domestic title would eclipse the euphoric scenes that followed becoming European champions.

Anfield has not lived up to its revered reputation in the first two

Champions League fixtures of this campaign – the noise volume was considerably higher for Premier League victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

That is a reflection of supporters’ trophy preference, but as Liverpool try to guarantee knockout qualification with a home victory over Napoli tonight, Klopp – just like last season – is in a privileged position where he sees no reason to prioritise.

Liverpool are equipped to go far in both competitions and ahead of his 100th game in a European tournament – taking in 14 years at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool – Klopp agrees that far from being an energy-sapping distraction, Europe has nourished domestic improvement. From a financial and sporting perspective, progress is imperative.

“It is unbelievable. I am four years in and we have been in three finals. It’s crazy,” said Klopp.

“Europe has been special for us so far and hopefully it will stay like this for ever. So far, whenever we played in Europe, we were in the final, so we should keep that going. It’s very difficult.

“I don’t know exactly where that came from. In the first year when we qualified for the Europa League final, there was not a lot to fight for in the league. It was not that we didn’t want to win, but it was difficult to create this very special atmosphere in the league.

“Once we got through the group and into the knockout stage it was clear it was all or nothing. In the league it was, ‘if we win we can be seventh and if we lose we will be ninth’. So there was nothing we could really win in the league season and that’s why the two finals were probably the standout moments of that season.

“The years after in the Champions League we didn’t really think we could go to the final, but we knew from the start there were probably 10 clubs that could go to the final and we were one of them and we should give it a try. We all know how the games were in the end, lucky in some moments but not too often.”

The Italians – missing the injured Lorenzo Insigne – have won only four of their last 13 games. Liverpool (probable, 4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-arnold, Van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Napoli (probable, 4-4-2): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Koulibaly, Manolas, Hysaj; Callejon, Zielinski, Allan, Fabian Ruiz; Mertens, Lozano.

Referee Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain).

KO 8pm TV BT Sport 2/BT Sport Ultimate.