ON RED ALERT!
Ticket scramble as old rivals land plum Euro draw
LIVERPOOL officials hastily moved to head off another potential row with fans over pricing last night for their Europa League draw against Manchester United that will spark a frantic scramble for tickets.
After the bitter rivals were sensationally drawn together for the first time in Europe, the Anfield club’s website announced a top price of £59 for the home leg — nearly double what they charged for Thursday’s win over Augsburg.
This caused grumbles from fans and within hours the club had apologised and confirmed they would keep prices in the £25-£35 range and claimed the original Category A pricing was a mistake that was ‘ part of a fixed process’.
Liverpool fans had staged a walkout earlier this month over plans to charge a top price of £77 for seats in Anfield’s new stand, forcing the club to back down.
Greater Manchester Police have yet to decide how to deal with the potential powder keg a week later of a 6pm kick-off in the return game at Old Trafford on St Patrick’s Day.
But it is a game that has captured the imagination and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: ‘My staff asked me, “Who do we want?”. I said Manchester United. Cool!’
TOGETHER they have collected 12 trophies on foreign soil and they have been involved in some of the greatest and most dramatic games in European football.
There is not much Liverpool and Manchester United have not seen in continental competition — as a haul of eight European Cups, three UEFA Cups and a European Cup-Winners Cup reflects — but on Friday, in the Swiss town of Nyon, they were paired together in a European tie for the first time.
Liverpool scraped through the last 16 with a 1-0 aggregate win over Augsburg, while United overcame an embarrassment in Denmark to beat FC Midtjylland 6-3 over two legs.
Opponents lurking in the draw were Borussia Dortmund and Gary Neville’s Valencia.
It came as no surprise, though, to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. During a conversation with his staff before their Augsburg clash, Klopp was asked who he wanted in the next round and his answer was both instinctive and firm: Manchester United.
Klopp, who described the rivalry between Liverpool and United as ‘ the salt in the soup’, is still vexed by the 1-0 defeat Louis van Gaal’s men inflicted on his side on January 17. Wayne Rooney’s late goal settled that contest but David de Gea was, without question, man of the match.ch. So the chance for Klopp to exact revenge — and, in the process, to create history — will come on March 10. The first leg will be staged at Anfield, with an 8.05pm kick-off; the return at Old Trafford a week later on St Patrick’s Day will kick off at 6pm. Greater Manchester Police, at this stage, have not given any indication about whether they will police the game differently.
‘That’s great, really,’ said Klopp, when asked his reaction to a draw which sees his old side Borussia Dortmund face Tottenham for a place in the quarter-finals.
‘We deserve these games. It is not going to be easy but you can ask my staff. They asked me yesterday, “Who do we want?” and I said Manchester United. I think we have to clear something. We had a good game when I was here but we lost 1-0 and that was not what we deserved that day — but that is what we got.
‘Life has given us a chance to make it better and that is what we have to do and will try to do.
‘In this round there was no easy game. So Manchester United? Cool.
‘With the draw (so close to the Capital One Cup final) it seems like it is Liverpool against Manchester, like always, like it should be.’
It is unclear yet what travel plans the clubs will make for the respective games.
Had they been facing opponents from the continent, UEFA rules would have demanded Liverpool and Manchester United be in the country in which they were playing 24 hours before kick- off. There is no rule, however, saying they must stay in the city in which they are playing.
UEFA’s legislation is that a team can stay within a 44km (28-mile) radius of the stadium in which the games will be held: Anfield and Old Trafford are 33 miles apart.
Van Gaal may have endured a troubled spell at Old Trafford but his record against Liverpool has been flawless, with four wins from four games, scoring nine goals and only conceding two.
When Liverpool made the short trip down the M62 in September, Daley Blind fired in the opener.
‘It’s a busy schedule coming up again and Liverpool will be a great game to play in, especially as it’s now in the Europa League,’ Blind
said yesterday. ‘You’re either in or out, through to the next round or not, so it’s very important for us.
‘They will say it’s important for them too so we have to show that we want it more. I’ve definitely got some good memories against Liverpool — I hope we can create some more.’
The excitement was shared by Liverpool’s goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who said: ‘It’s one to look forward to.
‘Obviously being in Europe you want a European team, but it’s Manchester United, it’s a derby and it’s two big ones.
‘I was in the gym and we were watching the draw on TV.
‘Some of the other lads were out on the pitch, some were having lunch . . . but we all got the message.
‘If you see everyone left in the competition there aren’t any easy ones left now — not in the last 16 in Europe. We know them but they know us as well.
‘ The last game at home we were probably the better team, but unfortunately didn’t score and they got one at the end.
‘Over two legs makes a difference, we have to stay calm — we’re thinking about Manchester City and the Capital One Cup final instead at the minute.’