Hoffenheim v Liverpool: play-off contribution and stats
Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp earnings to his homeland to take on continental debutants TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in an intriguing UEFA Champions League play-off tie.
Previous meetings
• This is Hoffenheim’s initial European tie, with a play-off initial leg during a Rhein-Neckar-Arena in Sinsheim marking a start of their lass continental campaign.
• Fourth place in a 2016/17 Bundesliga was a south-west German club’s best-ever joining finish.
• Liverpool are dominant in their final 6 encounters with German opposition; their altogether record reads P36 W17 D13 L6 F58 A31 (W11 D3 L0 during home, W2 D8 L4 away).
Match background
• After a year’s deficiency from European competition, Liverpool competent for a play-offs by entrance fourth in final season’s Premier League.
• Since 2009/10, when a Reds unsuccessful to get out of their UEFA Champions League group, this is their second entrance in a foe following another group-stage appearance in 2014/15.
• The aim for Liverpool, five-time European champions, is a tenth lean during a UEFA Champions League organisation stage.
• Their final European campaign, 2015/16, finished in a UEFA Europa League final better by Sevilla FC in Basel.
• The final 5 European games during Anfield have constructed a home victory; in fact, Liverpool are dominant in 9 home matches in Europe, given a 3-0 retreat to Real Madrid CF on 22 Oct 2014.
• In contrast, they have won only one of their final 12 European divided fixtures (D6 L5), that feat entrance during FC Rubin Kazan on 5 Nov 2015 in their UEFA Europa League group.
Team and manager links
• Klopp faced Hoffenheim 16 times as a manager during his career in Germany. His record was D1 L1 with 1. FSV Mainz 05, and W5 D5 L4 with Borussia Dortmund.
• Liverpool brazen Roberto Firmino was during Hoffenheim between 2011 and 2015, scoring 38 goals in 140 joining games.
• TSG’s Nadiem Amiri, Sandro Wagner and Kerem Demirbay, together with Emre Can of Liverpool, helped Germany win a FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia in July.
Coach profiles
• The Bundesliga’s youngest-ever conduct manager when allocated Hoffenheim trainer in Feb 2016, during a age of 28, Julian Nagelsmann primarily helped wand off a hazard of relegation with a multiple of tactical expertise and glorious man-management. That same recipe, grown during a prolonged coaching tutelage with FC Augsburg, TSV 1860 München and TSG, afterwards fuelled their impetus to fourth place final term.
• A UEFA Champions League runner-up as Dortmund manager in 2013, Klopp directed Liverpool into this month’s play-offs during a end to his initial full deteriorate in English football. The joining pretension and crater success that a charismatic 50-year-old enjoyed with BVB has so distant eluded him, yet he did lead a Merseysiders to a UEFA Europa League and English League Cup finals of 2016.