FeatureDiary from Eindhoven: Flight games, the Ronaldo room and a birthday

Tuesday

11.30am, Liverpool: Off we go, then. Our flight from John Lennon Airport is due to depart in an hour and for this reporter it’s a test of muscle memory – my first European away trip with the club since the visit to LASK in September 2023. I almost forgot my continental plug adaptor, too… Light drizzle is descending on an overcast Merseyside morning and my sources – OK, in all honesty, a quick internet search – reveals we can expect much the same upon arriving in Eindhoven. With the journey to the Netherlands only set to take a little over an hour, I’ve not bothered with a TV show or a book, instead I have a cryptic crossword ready to tackle.

2.45pm, Eindhoven: Touchdown. Hallo! Just as a reminder, boards at the airport inform us we have landed in the ‘Home of PSV’. By the way, I swear – and this is rare – I actually successfully completed the whole crossword. Anyway, those weather forecasts were absolutely correct. It’s cold and rainy here, too. Colder than Liverpool, in fact. But lovely to be here nevertheless and nice to see an excited gaggle of locals waiting inside the terminal to catch a glimpse of the Reds squad when they arrive. Those fans will have a little wait yet, with Arne Slot’s group still undergoing a preparatory session back home at the AXA Training Centre before boarding their plane and travelling out.

5pm, Liverpool: It’s take-off time for Slot’s men, with the head coach selecting a rotated 21-man travelling group for the trip. The Reds have, of course, already secured their automatic place in the last 16 but will be aiming for a perfect eight wins in the league phase and guaranteed No.1 seeding in the knockout stage. There’s a pre-flight game of Ludo being battled out by Conor Bradley, Tyler Morton, James Norris and Jarell Quansah as everyone gets settled in and buckled up, while Jayden Danns is enjoying a spot of chess.

6.15pm, Eindhoven: Here, meanwhile, we arrive at the stadium for the press conference extremely punctually, which at least gives us time to soak up the impressive sights of Philips Stadium. This is the Reds’ first visit to this venue since making three in the space of a little over two years from 2006 to 2008. The inner areas of the stadium are lined with lovely nods to the hosts’ history – they were European Cup winners in 1988 – including rooms named after revered former players. The media area bears the name of the legendary Brazil striker Ronaldo, who scored 42 goals in 46 league games during a mid-1990s spell with PSV. For fact fans, he is my favourite non-Liverpool player ever.

7pm, Eindhoven: The Reds squad make their arrival in Eindhoven as evening darkness falls over the country’s fifth-biggest city (by population). As the majority of the group continue on to the team hotel, Slot and Cody Gakpo peel away to go the stadium and speak at the pre-match press conference. The latter is, of course, a perfect choice as the player for this one, with Gakpo returning to the club he left to join Liverpool two years ago this month.

7.45pm, Eindhoven: Slot is first in to greet the media, with a large group of Dutch-based journalists gathered here and eager to quiz the head coach on his own return to home soil. “It’s always nice to be back,” he tells them. “Not at the club I’m supporting, but nice to be back and speak a bit of Dutch once in a while as well!” Gakpo follows the boss into the press conference, and once again many of the questions come from the local reporters. The No.18 is anticipating a special occasion when he walks out as an opponent at Philips Stadium. “It’s a beautiful moment,” says the forward. “[It will be] pretty strange. I think I’ve never been in the away dressing room, so it will be the first time and on the other side of the walkout. So, different than I was used to.”

9pm, Eindhoven: With our reports from the press conference filed to the website – Slot here and Gakpo here, just in case you missed them – a day that began on Merseyside ends in Eindhoven. A bite to eat, perhaps a Dutch beer, and bed for me.

Wednesday

9am, Eindhoven: Well, things have brightened up weather-wise, with the sun casting sharp rays down over the city, although the temperature continues to hover around eight degrees. After a spot of breakfast – where I resisted indulging in any poffertjes, a traditional Dutch offering, for now – those in the media team discuss plans for the day ahead. With kick-off not until 9pm local time this evening, there’s a few hours available to take in the sights of Eindhoven and grab a coffee before we set off to the stadium for the match.

10am, Eindhoven: Scanning local and national media, there’s plenty of anticipation for what is just a seventh competitive meeting between these two clubs – even given the fact that Liverpool are assured of finishing first or second in the league phase and PSV are highly likely to end the stage with a spot in the knockout play-offs at least. “Tonight is going to be something special,” declare the hosts in a special video message shared on social media this morning…

12pm, Eindhoven: Slot, staff and players now head out on their usual pre-match walk, stretching the legs ahead of their final preparations for the game. Unsurprisingly, Gakpo attracts plenty of attention back on the streets of his hometown and he happily obliges with a few photograph requests. There’s a birthday in the group to mark, too, with defender Quansah celebrating his 22nd today. Having achieved his first Champions League start last week against Lille, the No.78 will be hoping to make a third appearance in the competition overall here in the Netherlands.

12.15pm: And that’s it from this latest edition of our Champions League away diaries. Thanks, as always, for reading. Stay logged on to Liverpoolfc.com throughout the day for live coverage from Eindhoven – including Match Centre updates, reaction from the stadium and highlights via LFCTV GO. We’ll also have a new episode of Inside available on Thursday, bringing you the entire behind-the-scenes story of this European trip. Just one final thing for me to say: up the Reds!