Jurgen Klopp has seen enough Rangers vs Celtic games to know the atmosphere at Ibrox on Wednesday night will be electric and didn’t need Andy Robertson to warn him.
The Scotland captain is back in the Liverpool squad for the Champions League blockbuster at Ibrox. The Reds won 2-0 at Anfield last midweek before going down 302 to Arsenal at the weekend. They're now in Glasgow and could end the Light Blues’ slim hopes of making it out of Group A with victory in Govan.
Not that Klopp thinks it’s going to be an easy night’s work for his side. He knows the prospect of a full Ibrox is a vastly different one for his team than it was playing on home soil seven days ago. He’s only watched the Old Firm fixture on TV, but knows the reputation of Rangers fans and that they can bring the noise at the flick of a switch, and will remind his players to be ready for that before kick-off. “He doesn’t have to,” Klopp replied when asked if Robertson had been in his ear. “ I don’t know how many Old Firm games I’ve seen - okay only on television - but when both fan groups were allowed, I love this game atmosphere-wise.
“Most of the stadiums that I come to for the first time, I’ve been a supporter and watched the game. Andy Robertson played here with Dundee United and it was a similar atmosphere as well. Outstanding.
“You switch a light on and Ibrox is flying Is that the case? That’s special. Even when they play bad? Okay! But no, I didn’t speak to him about it.”
Liverpool ’s players have been there and got the t-shirt in this competition, But Klopp insists you don’t need to have a wealth of experience in continental competition to know that this game is a different proposition.
He said: “Not because of European experience, but because we are human beings. The Champions League is always this middle tie when you play home and away against the same opponent.
“We’ve had this situation quite frequently when we play the home game then the away game, which is of course different. Do I have to? I don’t know. Will I? Yes.
Rangers were criticised for not really laying a glove on their big name opponents on Merseyside. Klopp didn't quite see their approach as negative, but thought his side were just too good in order for Gio van Bronckhorst’s men to make much of an impact.
“I really thought Rangers went for it,” he admitted. “They really tried but we were really good. We shouldn’t forget that and they will go tomorrow.
“It’s completely different with the atmosphere. How often did we mention the power of Anfield? I’m pretty sure you have similar things to talk about with big European nights here and even big league games. Football is like this. We know it will be a tricky game but we thought we’d come here anyway!"
Leon King made his Champions League debut at Anfield and has been attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United after impressing in the Rangers first team. And Klopp was impressed with how the teen handled himself on the biggest stage.
“If there’s a lot of interest then it’s definitely a testament to how well he’s don,” he said. “When we play an opponent, I’m not too much about rating them - I do that when I watch the game back.
“We scored two goals from set pieces, which means left and right of them, Rangers had a clean sheet. He played in the last line so that’s to his credit as well.
“But an 18-year-old boy at Anfield in his first Champions League game,. I would say that it’s already positive that he doesn’t fall over the ball because of the nerves! He obviously didn’t do that - not even close, he played a good game so that says a lot about him.”
Robertson is available for the Reds but is unlikely to start. However, they will be without the under-fire Trent Alexander Arnold and Luis Diaz after the duo picked up injuries in London on Sunday.
"I hoped we would be a little bit lucky with Trent because the ankle didn’t look good, to be honest,” said Klpp. “Lucho [Diaz] will be six to eight weeks, He looks like a quick healer but we have to be careful with that. I could have been worse as well with the way he moved after the game.
“It’s not great but that’s the situation but we have to deal with it. And we will.
“They only trained a couple of days and we cannot put them in just because the others are out. Robbo is in the squad for tomorrow. Curtis [Jone], not, Ox [Oxlade-Chamberlain] not, Naby [Keita] not. That’s it. It’s important we have boys coming back but it’s not ‘they train twice with the team, here we go.’ It’s not like this.”
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