Klopp returns to the touchline of a Bundesliga ground for the first time since the 48-year-old quit Borussia Dortmund last season, before he replaced Brendan Rogers as Liverpool boss in October.
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Yet injuries and inconsistency means Liverpool’s hopes of earning Champions League qualification through the Premier League are slim, with the Merseysiders now in eighth spot, nine points off the top four.
“Only a few teams in the world can think about winning the Europa League and I think we are one of these teams”, the Liverpool manager said.
After the League Cup, the Europa League presents Klopp with a second chance at silverware in his first season to bring some European glory back to Merseyside.
“We should be realistic: The result is good in a European first leg away game, that’s absolutely OK”, Klopp told BT Sport after the match. I think the result is good.
“I don’t believe in the number of transfers but we have to make solutions and we will make solutions – [but] seven really sounds a lot”, he said. We can see the line. The chance to qualify for the Champions League makes it more interesting – ask Sevilla who would have qualified many times with this rule.
“For a club like Augsburg the competition is the biggest money they can get in Europe because the Champions League is far away”.
Riise was part of a Liverpool team which won the Champions League in Istanbul in 2005 and also collected the League Cup in 2003 and the FA Cup in 2006 during his time at Anfield.
“We play Sunday and we play Thursday”.
“If I wasn’t here and Augsburg play against Liverpool it is still the biggest game in their history”.
FC Augsburg vs Liverpool is set to kickoff at 20:05 (1:35 AM IST on Friday).
“We have to stand better in protection, you can win easier balls”. We then have a final [on the Sunday]. If you save energy or power for the final, you will lose on Thursday and Sunday.
“We always let them come a little back into the game and that’s not necessary”. Yes, I think so. The performance was deflating after the team put six past bottom-dwellers Aston Villa last weekend, especially since the starting XI included some heavy hitters in the form of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.
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The fluency and attacking threat that they give the side is enormous, and suddenly less talented players around them look effective too.
