JURGEN KLOPP BELIEVES being a part of Liverpool’s rivalry with Manchester United is one of football’s premier experiences as he prepares for the historic clash between the sides.
The Reds host their arch-rivals at Anfield on Thursday night in what will be their first-ever meeting in European competition.
And of the fixture, the German said: “It’s why I love football. We all loved it when we were young of course and played it, and in each region in the world you have games like this. Not with these big names but big enough.
“Being part of it, I still cannot have enough of this. Most of the time in my life I could not imagine I would be part of this but now I’ll be sitting on the bench for Liverpool FC playing against Manchester United.
“It’s still one of the best things I can imagine.”
Klopp was initially not aware that the Europa League last-16 tie carried extra significance, but he admits it adds a greater edge to the two-legged encounter.
“I was really happy with the draw not because it will be easy but because it’s exciting for everyone,” he said.
“I didn’t know it was the first time we have met each other in Europe. All the Liverpool world is excited about it.
“It’s really, really big. I hope it’s not the biggest game in my Liverpool career but it’s very important.”
The Reds boss suffered defeat in his first taste of the rivalry, with Wayne Rooney converting United’s only shot on target to record a 1-0 league win back in January.
Klopp feels the state of play has altered considerably since that Anfield loss.
“It’s a completely different situation, that’s for sure,” he said.
“We have more players available, hopefully it stays like this and so we can make changes when we want to make changes, we don’t have to make changes always when we don’t want to make changes.
“That’s how it is. To use this is now our job, we have to use this situation in the moment because nobody knows how it is next week.
“It’s a better moment for us to play very important games but we have to show it on the pitch, not here.”
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