ReactionJürgen Klopp on Europa League draw: 'We have to be ready and greedy'
Jürgen Klopp wants Liverpool to be 'really greedy' when they get their Europa League campaign under way, after learning their group-stage opponents today.
Liverpool were placed into Group E of the competition during Friday's draw in Monaco alongside LASK, Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse.
The group phase begins on September 21 following the upcoming international break, with the exact order of fixtures still to be confirmed.
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On his initial reaction to the draw, Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com: "Top. [I've] never played against one of the teams, which I love, and [I'm] really excited about it.
"[I] can't wait to get started, happy that we don't have to fly too far, to be honest, because [that's] a bit of a concern when you play Thursday and then you come back from wherever in Europe, and there are some distances, I think, especially in the Europa League, which is really tricky. It could be really tricky so there we were a bit lucky.
"But with the teams we have to learn now, obviously. When I saw it I went through the squads directly and tried to figure out a little bit who I know, what I know already, but that's obviously not enough in the moment.
"But we have, what is it? Three weeks? We will be prepared. When we know [who we will play first] then we will prepare that team and then the others."
Liverpool face trips to Austria, France and Belgium, with the latter giving the boss particular reason to smile, throwing up a family reunion for midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, with brother Kevin a defender at Union SG.
"They [all] have our full respect," Klopp added. "I am looking really forward to the Europa League and didn't play it that often in my life and that's why it makes it even more special. So, it's really cool.
"They will be good, they will be challenging. For them, obviously, it's clear, I saw the reaction of the Belgian team and we will meet Macca's brother, obviously. That's good as well, saw the reaction of that, so that's how it is, that everybody wants to play us, but everybody wants to beat us.
"So, we have to be ready, if we want to go far in the competition, we have to be really greedy in all these games and it's my job to make sure that we are."