Ahead of the Europa League semi-final, first-leg clash with Villarreal in Spain tonight, Jürgen Klopp sat down exclusively with Liverpoolfc.com to preview the contest – and explain why he wants supporters to 'give it bifters' over the two games!

The Reds will aim to take a step towards next month’s Basel final when they take to the field at El Madrigal this evening.

However, Klopp is well aware of the threat 'The Yellow Submarine' will pose and therefore explained the role fans will have to play in order to help their team through to the May 18 showpiece at St. Jakob-Park.

LFCTV GO subscribers can watch the whole interview below, or read on for a full transcript of our chat with the manager.

Jürgen, another big game this week with the trip to Spain to face Villarreal. They’re currently fourth in La Liga, what kind of threat will they pose?

It’s how it is and how it should be in a semi-final. A team of the highest quality who are in fourth place at this moment in Spain, six points ahead of fifth place and are nearly sure they will play Champions League qualifiers next season. They are a good side, very well organised and very hard-working, but with a lot of football skills. Of course, it is a very strong team – but what can you expect when you meet them in the semi-finals? There are a lot of positive things to say about Villarreal, but the most important thing to say is that all they have shown until now was against other teams than Liverpool FC. We feel not ‘safe’ or something, you can only feel ready and able. We want to do our best, 100 per cent and maybe, if it is necessary, more than our best. It’s good to know and good to feel in this moment that we have these two great games with a big, big goal behind them in the final in Basel. We are really looking forward to it.

You’ve often said sharing common experiences is an important factor in the development of the team – has this incredible Europa League journey so far helped with that?

Yes, 100 per cent – but the question is when you will get the benefit of it. We don’t want to have the benefit of our Europa League experience in 2022 or something! We want to have it now, of course. But it’s not only about the team, it’s about the crowd too – it’s about the whole Liverpool family. If you saw in what mood everybody was after the game, and during the game, against Dortmund and how pleased or whatever everybody was with the performance, the will, the readiness, the passion – all of these things – it was absolutely great and one of the best moments I think we’ve all ever had. So we should use it. We should use this atmosphere, we should use this motivation, we should create an atmosphere like this again. I am pretty sure we will take all the tickets we can get from Villarreal for Liverpool and then in the second leg, at home at Anfield, I think everybody knows we need each voice. We need each voice in this tournament and if everybody in the stadium is 'givin’ it bifters' then for sure it is easier for the team. It has been wonderful until now; it’s been a crazy trip, it’s been a difficult trip, but it’s been great. Now we want to make the final step.

There’s been just one defeat in the last 12 games for the side and 16 goals have been scored in the last five games, coming from all areas of the pitch. Is that a clear sign of the progress the team are making?

Yes, of course it is a sign of progress but in the end you have to see in the last four weeks, in each game we’ve lost a key player. It’s not that we still have a wonderful team and we always can find a brilliant line-up, of course. It’s not that we only play Europa League – between all of these games we have the Premier League and it’s not that we can say ‘OK, come on, it’s not too important’. The Premier League is important and we have to be ready for each game. It could be better, to be honest, but of course we are in a good moment, we are still in a good moment, and you see it in the performances of the team and the confidence of the players. You see a lot of really well-tuned offensive situations, a good organised formation and the other teams don’t have too many chances as it’s not too easy to create chances against us. We create chances – a lot more than we score goals – so it’s how I said, it’s a good moment but it’s still difficult. There is nothing guaranteed for the rest of this season, but a lot of possibilities. And as long as the things are possible then I think it makes sense to try and make them real.

It’s not just goals either, plenty of assists are being spread around the team currently. Alberto Moreno on Saturday, for example…

Alberto, one week before Millie and so are different players – they are nearly all involved in our goalscoring. They are involved because it’s not only the last pass, it is a few passes before. They are really important, the opening pass and all of these things. You see it is about confidence – and that is something that cannot be forced. You cannot say, ‘come on, play more confidently’. You have to work for it and work as long as it takes until it clicks. Then it is a little bit something like a flow. Then you have to keep this. If you are then not concentrated enough, you lose it in a second – what you’ve worked for for four or five weeks, you can lose it in a second. It’s not too fair, but it’s the truth. Until now everything is good, but we need it better in the next few days and the next few weeks until the end of the season. There are a few things to reach for us.

The work on the pitch doesn’t go unnoticed, but how about the team behind the team? How important have the backroom team been to this run, and in particular Zeljko Buvac and Peter Kraweitz who joined the club at the same time as you?

The biggest role you can imagine. For me, there is absolutely no doubt – I am not the worst manager in the world, but together with Pete and Zeljko we are a pretty good coaching team! Now we have John and Pep involved in this team, two nice and hard-working lads, so that’s brilliant. They are very, very important. I am far away from being a genius, but I am smart enough to know the things I am not good enough [at], and you need the best around – and that’s what we have at Liverpool. I enjoy this work. I have not only answers, I still have questions and so for me, it’s absolutely perfect. For those who have followed my way a little bit longer, know that I have two really strong, strong partners by my side with their own opinion. I know at the end always I decide – I have to decide, that is no problem and I like to do this – but I need knowledge, I need information, I need sometimes uncomfortable questions. That’s what you need to stay in the race or to become better. We are always in discussions and to be honest, most of the time we agree but we very often have discussions about different things. For me, I have the best assistants in the world. It’s clear, without them I would not be here. Everything is good in the backroom staff, more than good – nearly perfect! But in the end, we are all only here to be successful with Liverpool.