RB Leipzig Host Liverpool Under Jurgen Klopp's Looming Shadow

RB Leipzig host Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday as Jurgen Klopp's recent past and not-too-distant future collide. The 57-year-old will not be there at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday but his shadow still looms over the contest. Klopp stepped down as Liverpool manager in the summer citing exhaustion after a successful nine-year spell which included lifting the Champions League and Premier League. In October, Klopp announced his return to football, not as a coach but running Red Bull's football operations, which oversees clubs in several cities including Leipzig, Salzburg and New York.

He will be absent from the game, choosing to wait to attend a match after starting the role in January.

While the appointment was a surprise in Germany and in England, the focus on Leipzig has been particularly acute. 

In a strange quirk of the fixture list, Leipzig's five fixtures after the announcement includes games against each of Klopp's former clubs: Mainz, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. 

'Klopp in Mallorca'

Klopp was again a topic of conversation after Leipzig's 2-0 win at Mainz on Saturday, by fans and media alike.

Some fans held banners protesting the appointment, while reporters asked if Leipzig coach Marco Rose had asked Klopp for tips on how to beat the Reds on Wednesday.  

Rose played under Klopp for several years at Mainz and the two maintain a good relationship. 

He said he would "not be phoning up" his former coach for tips on how to beat Liverpool. 

"Kloppo is in (Spanish island) Mallorca, looking after his dog, his wife and his children. 

"I will do everything (to beat Liverpool) but I won't call Klopp. 

"He needs his peace and quiet and needs to rest a bit.

"And I'll grant him that."

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