Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Definitely the tie of the round in the Europa League Quarter Finals as Jurgen Klopp returns “home” as his Liverpool side come to Iduna Park and face his former side Borussia Dortmund. Can Jurgen Klopp return to the place of so many successes and get one over his former side.
Both teams were paired up with strong sides in the previous round but it’s fair to say that they came through their tests with relative ease. Dortmund disposed of a near second string Totteham while Liverpool dumped out their most hated rivals Manchester United.
Dortmund currently find themselves 2nd in the Bundesliga and still 5 points adrift of Bayern Munich. It seems as no matter what Thomas Teuchel’s side do of late they just can’t seem to get any closer to their nearest rivals in the race for the Bundesliga title.
With Champions League Football nearly assured through the Bundesliga route then the Europa League trophy would no doubt be an added bonus in a relatively successful season but for Liverpool the competition could take on some extra importance.
With the Top 4 now all but a mere pipe dream for Jurgen Klopp’s side it means the likelihood of Champions League Football at Anfield is slim but that doesn’t mean it’s not impossible. Winning this competition would give The Merseysiders a back door route into next year’s Champions League
Some Liverpool fans would rather finish 8th in the league this season to rid themselves of the distraction of Europa League next season and give them a clear run at Premier League success. Therefore it looks like the competition is now win or bust
They warmed up for this game with a 1-1 draw at home to title chasing Tottenham on Saturday Evening. Philippe Coutinho was the man of the match and they will be hoping that there’s more of the same from him tonight. When he ticks, Liverpool ticks. They just need him to tick a lot more often.
Dortmund looked a class apart in their encounter in the previous round but Liverpool won’t be worrying about when and where to rest their players, they will be giving this their full focus so will provide more of a focus.
That said I think this Dortmund side have too much in them and look to dampen Jurgen Klopp’s homecoming. I think it will be a win for Dortmund and Liverpool will have to make sure they do enough to make the 2nd leg something to play for. Home win for me.
Papa Johns – If your team scores twice then it’s half price
