Liverpool v Hoffenheim: play-off contribution and stats
Liverpool FC will demeanour to move TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s lass UEFA Champions League debate to an early end as they urge a 2-1 lead in their UEFA Champions League play-off decider.
Previous meetings
• Liverpool are now dominant in their final 7 encounters with German opposition; their altogether record reads P37 W18 D13 L6 F60 A32. They have nonetheless to remove in 14 home meetings with German opponents: W11 D3 L0.
• 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.
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 coming 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.
• Their 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.
Team and manager links
• Liverpool trainer Jürgen 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
• 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, nonetheless he did lead a Merseysiders to a UEFA Europa League and English League Cup finals of 2016.
• 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.
Penalty shoot-outs
• Liverpool’s record in 4 UEFA chastisement shoot-outs is W3 L1:
4-2 v AS Roma, 1983/84 European Champion Clubs’ Cup final
3-2 v AC Milan, 2004/05 UEFA Champions League final
4-1 v Chelsea FC, 2006/07 UEFA Champions League semi-finals
4-5 v BeÅŸiktaÅŸ JK, 2014/15 UEFA Europa League turn of 32
• Hoffenheim have nonetheless to knowledge a shoot-out in Europe.