Joël Matip Excited For First European Night at Anfield

Liverpool are set to play their biggest match at Anfield in recent memory when they welcome German club Hoffenheim for the return leg of their Champions League qualifier. Fans are eager to experience this again after their year out of European competitions, but the players are eager as well.

Joël Matip wasn’t with the club when Klopp led their unlikely Europa League run to the final, so this will be his first taste of that atmosphere.

“The tradition of this club means they’ve had a lot of European nights,” he said. “I want to be a part of this. The atmosphere is going to be something special.

“I watched the game against Dortmund and of course that comeback was amazing. It was great to see and now I can't wait to be a part of these nights. I am really happy that I have this opportunity.

“Every one of us wants to play in the Champions League. We all want to stand on the field, not watch on TV. We worked hard during the whole of last year for this opportunity to go to the Champions League. It's a big chance for us.”

A lot is riding on this game, but Liverpool go into it with a narrow lead that they’ll hopefully be able to hang onto in order to give us more European nights to come.