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(Reuters) – Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has urged fans to treat their Europa League group-stage match against LASK at Anfield on Thursday as a “special night” as his side look to seal qualification for the knockout rounds.
Liverpool top Group E with nine points from four games, two ahead of Toulouse, after being beaten 3-2 by the Ligue 1 side earlier this month. Union Saint Gilloise are third with four points, one more than bottom side LASK.
A win against LASK would ensure Liverpool’s progress to the last 16 and put them in pole position to finish top of the group.
“We are in the beginning of the most intense period of the whole season. We play now Thursday-Sunday, it’s super tough,” Klopp told reporters on Wednesday. “… what we have to have tomorrow is an atmosphere.
“We have to make sure that this is a European night and that is what I expect us to do – a proper European night at Anfield, really going for it. I will line up a team with fresh legs who want to go for it, enjoy the game and will really fight for a result.
“If Anfield wants to do that as well, that would be massively helpful. We have to show that Anfield is a wonderful place to come, but also a horrible place to come in the same moment.”
Liverpool will be without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker and winger Diogo Jota, who both suffered knocks during a 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Saturday.
“Both are out. With Alisson it is a bit lesser so we will have to see,” Klopp said.
“He’s not going to play tomorrow or on Sunday, probably not the week after, then he could be kind of OK, but Diogo will take a little bit longer. We don’t know exactly how long but it is a bit more serious.”
Klopp added that Caoimhin Kelleher would take Alisson’s place in goal, saying: “He would have played anyway and deserves his opportunity to get a few more games and hopefully he can show his full potential.”
(This story has been corrected to say ‘four’ games, instead of ‘five,’ in paragraph 2)
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
