Klopp braced for big challenge from a close friend
A close friend will be in the opposition dugout, but Jürgen Klopp is braced for a challenging night when Liverpool continue pre-season by facing Huddersfield Town on Wednesday.
Three games have brought three victories for the Reds so far this summer – without conceding a goal – and they aim to extend that record against the Championship side managed by David Wagner.
The two men are long-time pals, former colleagues and each in the early stages of changing a club’s fortunes after arriving in English football around the same time last year.
“We worked for a few years together,” Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com.
“He was my coach of our U23 side in Germany with Borussia Dortmund. He is an experienced manager. He has worked in youth teams and he has done a really good job up until now.
“He made a big impact, I heard, when he went to Huddersfield. It changed a lot and that’s really good.”
The warm-up match at the John Smith’s Stadium – which can be watched live and in full on LFCTV and LFCTV GO – comes only hours before Klopp and his players fly to the United States to begin their tour.
But minds will be firmly focused on the task of defeating the Terriers first, with the boss well aware of what to expect from the reunion with Wagner.
He added: “Playing against a Championship team in a pre-season game is really difficult because they are really hot.
“They are greedy, they are ambitious and sometimes, maybe sometimes, it’s one of the best games in their whole year – so no big pressure and only opportunity.
“It will be difficult, 100 per cent. We have a long day on Wednesday because we fly to the USA after the game for our tour. It’s not easy for us but at the end of the day I want difficult situations in the pre-season.
“I know a few players [in the Huddersfield team] because they have brought in a few German players and I managed two of them in the past. They are a really good team, for sure, and it’s a good challenge for us.”