Liverpool 'must be ready to suffer' in their Champions League battle with Villarreal

Jurgen Klopp has said that his Liverpool team “have to be ready to suffer” if they want to reach this season's Champions League final.

The Premier League club take on Villarreal in Tuesday's semi-final second leg in Spain defending a 2-0 from the first game at Anfield.

Liverpool remain in the hunt for what would be a historic trophy quadruple and have lost only three times in all competitions this term. And while they remain in pole position to secure their latest euro final spot, Klopp has warned his players they must prepare themselves for a difficult night at El Madrigal.

“With all these things during the season, obviously with the situation we are in, we must have done something right, that is clear,” said the German on Monday.

“But the problem in our job is everything’s perfect until the next game starts on the wrong foot and all of a sudden the game gets a different dynamic.

“It is good to know – and it is more a feeling inside, not that we are flying constantly and high-fiving here and there – we are in a good moment.

“But my only concern is what we do [on Tuesday] and we have to be ready to suffer but not going 1-0 down or whatever – that can happen in football matches – but giving the game the right direction.

“Let’s think they have the first shot on target, crowd goes up, each challenge, crowd goes up and that is how it is.”

Klopp said a prime example of this was during their narrow Premier League victory at Newcastle United on Saturday. “The crowd was obviously very passionate but we did not let it happen, which was the biggest quality of this game,” he added.

HOW VILLARREAL AND LIVERPOOL REACHED CL SEMI-FINALS - GROUP F: September 14, 2021 - Villarreal 2 (Trigueros 39', Danjuma 73') Atalanta 2 (Freuler 6',