JURGEN KLOPP says Liverpool need to show “balls” if they are to see off Manchester City in the Champions League.
The Premier League leaders visit Anfield on Wednesday as the two clubs battle it out for a place in the semi-final of the European Cup.
And Klopp admits there is no point in Liverpool trying to play for a clean sheet in the first-leg because City’s attack is too potent to keep quiet.
Instead, he wants his players to show the bravery to match up to Pep Guardiola’s free-flowing side and go toe-to-toe slugging it out for victory.
Klopp said: “We beat them two months ago so we know it is possible to do it again… but hoping for a clean sheet against Man City does not make much sense.
“It is 100 per cent they will have a shot on target in 95 minutes. You need the balls to use the space. We have to be 100 per cent in all parts, offence and defence.
“We cannot avoid everything but with our skills we can cause them problems so that makes the game interesting.”
“I meet people who can tell me each goal Liverpool scored 37 years ago. This team we need to be proud of our history but we need to create our own history.
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“I did that a lot in the past with my former teams: at one point you need to do your own things. The boys are ready and are really looking forward to it.”
Klopp faces a major selection worry in defence after Joe Matip was ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh injury suffered in the win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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With Joe Gomez already sidelined with an ankle problem, fellow centre-back Ragnar Klavan is also expected to miss out – leaving Dejan Lovren as the only choice alongside Virgil Van Dijk.
The Liverpool boss added: “We know what we have to do at the end but is about doing it 100 per cent.
“It is a big game against one of the best teams in Europe if not the best team in Europe at the moment. That is nice but it is no coincidence we are in the quarter-finals.
“It wouldn’t be right to sit here and say City have no chance at Anfield but we can win football games as well. I like difficult jobs because it makes it most interesting for a manager.
“The worst thing that can happen is you lose a football game. It is a big opportunity and we will try everything to make it happen.”
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