Ian Doyle previews Liverpool’s Europa League round of 16, second-leg clash with Sparta Prague at Anfield tonight.
From the debate over the thrilling if controversial draw with title rivals Manchester City, the encouragement sparked by the return of Michael Edwards to the expectation of Sunday’s mouthwatering FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester United, it’s another busy week for Liverpool.
Easy to overlook, then, that Jurgen Klopp’s side still have a job to do this evening in their Europa League round-of-16 clash with Sparta Prague.
“I am absolutely on my toes and now we have to make sure everybody feels the same, and then we should be able to play a good football game,” says the Liverpool boss. “That’s all that I want.”
With the Reds 5-1 up from last week’s first leg in Czechia, complacency, whether that be on the pitch or in the stands with Liverpool in such a commanding position and more demanding tests on the horizon, is a very real threat Klopp is eager to sidestep.
But that seemingly one-sided scoreline didn’t tell the full story of the game in Prague, with the home side’s willingness to attack meaning Caoimhin Kelleher was required to make some important saves, particularly during the first half, before the hosts tired dramatically in the closing quarter.
With Sparta boss Brian Priske vowing once again not to park the bus, Liverpool can expect to have to cope with more of the same tonight. And having won 14 of their last 17 games, the Reds won’t want momentum being checked ahead of the weekend’s blockbusting fixture at Old Trafford.
“The challenge we have now: we play Thursday and then on Sunday, and then the players obviously play two games for their countries, pretty much 85% of the players do that, which is a tough one as well,” says Klopp.
“But good results always help, good performances always help. But even that is a challenge to bring that again on the pitch because if you play bad, the next game you have to play better. If you play good, you want to play as good at least or better. That’s actually the idea and not that you have consistency.
“The boys were quite consistent, I have to say now, in recent weeks. But it’s a long, long run-in in all competitions – a long run-in – and we are not even close to the finishing line, it doesn’t feel like that, I can’t see the finishing line. I just see Sparta Prague wants to put things right and we have to play a really good football game because it’s our home game, it’s our stadium, it’s our competition.
“We wanted to make it our competition from the first day of the competition, so we want to go as far as possible and it would be cool if we could say that after the game as well, that we still have the momentum. But in the moment I don’t know.”
History, as well as their four-goal advantage, favours Liverpool, with the Reds never been eliminated from a European knockout tie having won the first leg away from home. They’ve also never lost in five previous games against teams from Czechia and are aiming for a sixth European quarter-final under Klopp.
Despite the desire to maintain momentum, there will be rotation once again this evening. Cody Gakpo is likely to come into the forward line, Klopp has hinted Mohamed Salah could start as he ramps up his minutes on returning from injury, while youngsters Bobby Clark and James McConnell are pressing for a midfield role and Ryan Gravenberch is now back from injury. Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson are both vying to return at left-back, while Joe Gomez could switch to centre-back should Virgil van Dijk be given a breather.
The skipper has been in outstanding form for much of the campaign and again shone against the might of City’s attack at the weekend, with Klopp believing Van Dijk being handed the captaincy last summer following the departure of Jordan Henderson and James Milner has elevated the levels of the Dutchman.
“The captaincy helped,” says the Reds boss. “He took the role sensationally well – all of them did. The whole leadership group stepped really up. They all made big steps. That was always the plan and the idea and the hope – that it will be like that when you lose the leaders of the last few years. And that worked out really, really well.
“Definitely a big step again (from Van Dijk) but just back to his best. When you play the level Virg played for so many years now for us and there’s a dip after an injury, stuff like this and everybody discusses like it’s over – it’s not nice but it’s the world we are living in, so that’s how it is.
“If just an armband right here (on the body) would make us the best version of ourselves again, we all should try it! Just wearing something is not a problem, eh? So put it there and let’s see what happens.”
