do, which is work hard enough.

Logic suggests Liverpool need their most natural goalscorer in the starting line- up, but it was intriguing to hear Klopp talk of “surprising” Villarreal and, at the same time, as guarding against being too gung- ho.

He was satisfi ed with how his midfi eld triumvirate coped in El Madrigal and it was only the aberrations in defence from Alberto Moreno and Kolo Toure in the 92nd- minute that allowed Adrian Lopez to score on the counter- attack.

“The situation ahead game is everybody of this may expect that from the fi rst second we need to be on fi re and we will press them in their own half,” he said. “I don’t want to talk too much about what we do because hopefully we can surprise them a little bit, but it is about playing smart.

“A big threat is their counterattacking game. We played well until a specifi c point in the game and then we didn’t fi nd the target and the player in the box with our crosses often enough.

“We have thought about everything and will be really well prepared for this game.”

History, so often the inspiration in these parts, also provides a warning. The last time Liverpool were at this stage of the Europa League they also trailed Spanish opposition 1- 0 from the fi rst leg.

Despite levelling matters on aggregate before the interval, they could not see the job through and it was Atletico Madrid, courtesy of Diego Forlan’s extra- time strike, who progressed on away goals. That night, even though Anfi eld roared itself hoarse, Liverpool came up short.

“When people saw Dortmund they said, ‘ Oh my God’ and thought we would go out in the quarter- fi nal,” said Klopp.

“But we showed it is possible. It is a big opportunity. It is something like a dream. We want to make it through.

“If we play our best, we to the fi nal.” Anfi eld expects. go