Klopp plots route back to join elite
JURGEN KLOPP has delivered a bold statement of Liverpool’s intent by saying his side can triumph in the Europa League and seize the opportunity to join the elite again.
The Liverpool manager returned to his native Germany knowing the competition provides a route back into the Champions League, because the winners now secure a seat at Europe’s top table.
Klopp has named a strong squad for tonight’s last- 32 fi rst leg tie with Augsburg and, although there are eight hurdles to negotiate before the fi nal in Basle in May, he was happy to talk up Liverpool’s prospects.
“There are a few teams when the competition starts who think they can win it. We are one of these teams,” said Klopp. “If you look at the Europa League now, it is like a mini Champions League. There are some high- quality teams.
“Sometimes you look for the shortest way to achieve your goals. The Europa League for sure is not the shortest way to reach the Champions League. It’s a really hard way and not the normal road.
“Ask Sevilla, who would have been in the Champions League something like fi ve out of six seasons if the rule was in place then.
“We are in the last 32. We can see the line. But I cannot say, ‘ This is our only chance of being in the Champions League’.
“It’s a chance. How many points in the league are we away from the Champions League? I think it is nine. So, yeah, I would say we have a better chance this way. Maybe the top- four clubs will have a crisis. But we have to solve our own problems.”
Augsburg regard the visit of the fi ve- time European champions as a landmark evening.
Klopp downplayed his homecoming and instead warned his side to expected motivated opponents eager to claim a prized scalp.
“They will fi ght for everything,” said Klopp, who won fi ve and drew three of his 10 previous meetings with Augsburg when in charge of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.
“They have said it is the biggest game in their history. If it is, you can imagine how ready they are for this game.
“If I wasn’t here and Augsburg played Liverpool, it is still the biggest game in their history.”
The second leg next Thursday precedes Sunday’s Capital One Cup fi nal with Manchester City and there is a temptation to select a strong side to secure a healthy advantage.
Indeed, Daniel Sturridge, withdrawn after 62 minutes of the 6- 0 dismantling of Aston Villa, has been included in the party.
“We play Sunday and we play Thursday,” said Klopp. “That’s a good gap, enough time to recover, no problem. We then play Thursday, so no problems again.
“We then have a fi nal. Before a fi nal you don’t need to be recovered. You could play the fi nal on Friday!”
LIVERPOOL ( probable):
‘ We can win this in May’