Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has suggested that the Manchester United fans will be happiest with his side&#39;s difficult Champions League quarter-final draw against local rivals Manchester City.

City are runaway leaders in the Premier League, with United currently second and Liverpool five points behind them in fourth.

If the Champions League draw hardly delighted Klopp, he suspected City were not too happy either and took a dim view of the likely rescheduling of the Liverpool derby against Everton as a consequence.

&quot;I think it is an absolute dream draw -- for Manchester United fans,&quot; the German told reporters.

&quot;I didn&#39;t expect anything, I didn&#39;t wish anything, I don&#39;t think it&#39;s good in the Champions League if you play against a team from your own country, but at one point it&#39;s pretty clear you will play them,&quot; he added.

&quot;It didn&#39;t matter who we got, I knew it would be difficult. And it&#39;s difficult. Manchester City will be difficult. It doesn&#39;t look like Christmas and Easter in the same day.&quot;

Pep Guardiola&#39;s City side face United in the league in between the two legs of the European tie and could potentially clinch the title against their local foes.

Manchester City&#39;s director of football Txiki Begiristain told the club website (www.mancity.com) that the draw had thrown up difficult opponents, who beat his side at Anfield in January after losing 5-0 at the Etihad last September.

&quot;We like to travel and to go to another country in the Champions League but it is what it is,&quot; he said.

&quot;We know each other very well, they are a very offensive team, the truth is it is going to be a great couple of games and we are going to see good football.&quot;

The first leg will be played at Anfield on April 4, with the return on April 10.

Klopp said he had caught sight of Begiristain&#39;s face after the draw was announced and he &quot;didn&#39;t look like it was Christmas&quot;.

The rescheduling of the Merseyside derby from April 8 to April 7 has yet to be confirmed but Klopp said he had heard that it would be.

&quot;Sometimes, the associations will cancel the fixture to help, but not in this case,&quot; he said. &quot;We play Wednesday night v Man City and then play Everton at 12.30 three days later... Not too cool, but we do it the hard way.&quot;

Pep Guardiola's City side face United in the league in between the two legs of the European tie and could potentially clinch the title against their local foes.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has suggested that the Manchester United fans will be happiest with his side's difficult Champions League quarter-final draw against local rivals Manchester City. City are runaway leaders in the Premier League, with United currently second and Liverpool five points behind them in fourth. If the Champions League draw hardly delighted Klopp, he suspected City were not too happy either and took a dim view of the likely rescheduling of the Liverpool derby against Everton as a consequence. "I think it is an absolute dream draw -- for Manchester United fans," the German told reporters. "I didn't expect anything, I didn't wish anything, I don't think it's good in the Champions League if you play against a team from your own country, but at one point it's pretty clear you will play them," he added. "It didn't matter who we got, I knew it would be difficult. And it's difficult. Manchester City will be difficult. It doesn't look like Christmas and Easter in the same day." Pep Guardiola's City side face United in the league in between the two legs of the European tie and could potentially clinch the title against their local foes. Manchester City's director of football Txiki Begiristain told the club website (www.mancity.com) that the draw had thrown up difficult opponents, who beat his side at Anfield in January after losing 5-0 at the Etihad last September. "We like to travel and to go to another country in the Champions League but it is what it is," he said. "We know each other very well, they are a very offensive team, the truth is it is going to be a great couple of games and we are going to see good football." The first leg will be played at Anfield on April 4, with the return on April 10. Klopp said he had caught sight of Begiristain's face after the draw was announced and he "didn't look like it was Christmas". The rescheduling of the Merseyside derby from April 8 to April 7 has yet to be confirmed but Klopp said he had heard that it would be. "Sometimes, the associations will cancel the fixture to help, but not in this case," he said. "We play Wednesday night v Man City and then play Everton at 12.30 three days later... Not too cool, but we do it the hard way."

Football: Liverpool v Man City is a dream draw for United fans, say Klopp

Liverpool reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in nine years on Tuesday, with a 0-0 second leg draw at Anfield earning them a 5-0 aggregate win over Porto, and manager Juergen Klopp said the club were back where they belong.

The last time the five times European champions reached this stage of Europe&#39;s elite club competition was in 2009 when they went out to Chelsea in a dramatic 7-5 aggregate defeat.

&quot;It feels good to be honest, feels really good. I cannot feel like people who waited so long for it, but it feels good,&quot; said Klopp, who made clear that he expected more.

&quot;Last eight is cool. (But) we&#39;re not a little bit satisfied to be honest. I think it was time that we showed up again,&quot; he said.

Klopp, who took his previous club Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final in 2012, losing to Bayern Munich, said reaching the last eight highlighted the progress at Anfield.

&quot;There is a good development in Liverpool at the moment, it is a nice moment, but if you don&rsquo;t show up in a competition like the Champions League then no-one realises it,&quot; he said.

&quot;So I am happy for all the people involved that we made that step. It&#39;s done, it&#39;s good and now let&#39;s go and carry on.&quot;

Klopp is in his third season at the Merseyside club and said this year&#39;s progress in Europe was about in line with his expectations for the team&#39;s improvement.

&quot;I never had a time schedule in my mind. I don&rsquo;t want to make it smaller than it is but, on the other hand, I don&rsquo;t want to make it bigger than it is.

&quot;This year we belong there to be honest, it should not be a big surprise and the next round will be very difficult, there are seven other very good teams involved, so maybe five or four are from England, it doesn&#39;t make it easier to be honest.

&quot;But I think we will have a chance for sure to go to the semis, that is of course the target. I think we are in time.&quot;

Porto manager Sergio Conceicao feels Liverpool, who last won the Champions League in 2005, have what it takes to go all the way again.

&quot;Liverpool are definitely one of the teams that can win this year, they are really strong and everyone knows that,&quot; said the former Portugal winger.

The last time the five times European champions reached this stage of Europe's elite club competition was in 2009 when they went out to Chelsea in a dramatic 7-5 aggregate defeat.

Liverpool reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in nine years on Tuesday, with a 0-0 second leg draw at Anfield earning them a 5-0 aggregate win over Porto, and manager Juergen Klopp said the club were back where they belong. The last time the five times European champions reached this stage of Europe's elite club competition was in 2009 when they went out to Chelsea in a dramatic 7-5 aggregate defeat. "It feels good to be honest, feels really good. I cannot feel like people who waited so long for it, but it feels good," said Klopp, who made clear that he expected more. "Last eight is cool. (But) we're not a little bit satisfied to be honest. I think it was time that we showed up again," he said. Klopp, who took his previous club Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final in 2012, losing to Bayern Munich, said reaching the last eight highlighted the progress at Anfield. "There is a good development in Liverpool at the moment, it is a nice moment, but if you don’t show up in a competition like the Champions League then no-one realises it," he said. "So I am happy for all the people involved that we made that step. It's done, it's good and now let's go and carry on." Klopp is in his third season at the Merseyside club and said this year's progress in Europe was about in line with his expectations for the team's improvement. "I never had a time schedule in my mind. I don’t want to make it smaller than it is but, on the other hand, I don’t want to make it bigger than it is. "This year we belong there to be honest, it should not be a big surprise and the next round will be very difficult, there are seven other very good teams involved, so maybe five or four are from England, it doesn't make it easier to be honest. "But I think we will have a chance for sure to go to the semis, that is of course the target. I think we are in time." Porto manager Sergio Conceicao feels Liverpool, who last won the Champions League in 2005, have what it takes to go all the way again. "Liverpool are definitely one of the teams that can win this year, they are really strong and everyone knows that," said the former Portugal winger.

Football: Liverpool are back where they belong, says Klopp after Champions League quarter-finals spot

Liverpool has overcome the instability that contributed to their inconsistent start to the season, manager Juergen Klopp said ahead of Tuesday&#39;s Champions League clash at Sevilla.

A victory in Spain will guarantee Group E leaders Liverpool passage into the knockout stage and Klopp&#39;s side head into the game high on confidence after three successive victories in the Premier League.

&quot;It&#39;s getting really exciting and decisive -- and that&#39;s really cool,&quot; Klopp said. &quot;We&#39;ve had 12 (league) games this season, that&#39;s not even a third of the season, so we have to learn from our experiences and build on our performances.

&quot;That&#39;s what we did in the last few weeks and now what we have to do in the next few weeks... to get points you need to play stable football and that&#39;s what we were lacking. Now it looks much more stable and that was really important for us.&quot;

Liverpool&#39;s blistering form in front of goal has stemmed from the understanding between Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah with the attacking foursome limiting striker Daniel Sturridge&#39;s game time.

However, Klopp said the England international will have a part to play as the season wears on and he was not thinking of selling him in the January transfer window.

&quot;I can imagine a player with his quality is not happy that he is not starting all the time,&quot; Klopp added. &quot;The situation with the player is completely okay. We are in November and need all our players -- even if he feels a little different.

&quot;There is around one-and-a-half months before the window opens and I don&#39;t think about things like this. There are so many games before then and I need all of them (players).&quot;

Klopp will be without defender Joel Matip on Tuesday and hopes he will recover from a thigh strain in time for the visit of Chelsea on Saturday.

Liverpool, who were held to a 2-2 draw by the Spanish side in their opening clash in Europe in September and followed that up with a 1-1 draw at Spartak Moscow, thrashed Maribor 7-0 and 3-0 in their next two games to top Group E.

Liverpool take on Sevilla early Wednesday morning at 1.15 am India Standard Time

Liverpool has overcome the instability that contributed to their inconsistent start to the season, manager Juergen Klopp said ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash at Sevilla. A victory in Spain will guarantee Group E leaders Liverpool passage into the knockout stage and Klopp's side head into the game high on confidence after three successive victories in the Premier League. "It's getting really exciting and decisive -- and that's really cool," Klopp said. "We've had 12 (league) games this season, that's not even a third of the season, so we have to learn from our experiences and build on our performances. "That's what we did in the last few weeks and now what we have to do in the next few weeks... to get points you need to play stable football and that's what we were lacking. Now it looks much more stable and that was really important for us." Liverpool's blistering form in front of goal has stemmed from the understanding between Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah with the attacking foursome limiting striker Daniel Sturridge's game time. However, Klopp said the England international will have a part to play as the season wears on and he was not thinking of selling him in the January transfer window. "I can imagine a player with his quality is not happy that he is not starting all the time," Klopp added. "The situation with the player is completely okay. We are in November and need all our players -- even if he feels a little different. "There is around one-and-a-half months before the window opens and I don't think about things like this. There are so many games before then and I need all of them (players)." Klopp will be without defender Joel Matip on Tuesday and hopes he will recover from a thigh strain in time for the visit of Chelsea on Saturday. Liverpool, who were held to a 2-2 draw by the Spanish side in their opening clash in Europe in September and followed that up with a 1-1 draw at Spartak Moscow, thrashed Maribor 7-0 and 3-0 in their next two games to top Group E.

Champions League: Klopp says Liverpool have overcome early instability

Juergen Klopp&#39;s Liverpool have been breathtaking and infuriating in equal measure this season, but it all came together on Tuesday as they displayed their devastating attacking prowess in a 7-0 victory against Maribor.

As has been the case too often this season, Liverpool&#39;s opening two Champions League draws against Sevilla and Spartak Moscow were characterised by both defensive fragility and attacking frustration.

Yet from the moment Roberto Firmino opened the scoring in the fourth minute against the Slovenian side, Liverpool cut through the hosts&#39; defence with irrepressible vim and vigour and ended up recording the biggest away win by an English team in European Cup history.

The first half was only 19 minutes old by the time Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah added their names to the scoresheet -- the latter then netting his second, and the team&#39;s fourth, in the 39th minute.

By the time Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai blew the final whistle, Firmino, substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and defender Trent Alexander-Arnold had scored second-half goals.

&quot;Our attitude was outstanding, we were spot on from the first second,&quot; Klopp told BT Sport.

&quot;We scored wonderful goals, played wonderful football and it looked like they were not very good, but it is difficult to play against us.

&quot;I love the fact we stayed really concentrated in the second half, we controlled the game and it was a very mature performance.

&quot;You can struggle in a game like this if you do not have a 100 percent attitude... Seven goals was wonderful, but the counter pressing I was close to celebrating it, it was so good. They are a really good football team and they could not cope with this.&quot;

Such are Liverpool&#39;s attacking options at present, dynamic England midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain has had to be content with a place on the bench since his arrival from Arsenal in August.

&quot;We were very clinical and putting almost all of our chances away,&quot; the midfielder said. &quot;It feels like we have a lot of goals in us, we create a lot of chances.

&quot;This is a competitive team, we have had a few results that have not gone our way, and I&#39;m ready whenever I get an opportunity.&quot;

With five points, Liverpool -- who welcome Maribor to Anfield next month -- lead Group E on goal difference from Spartak Moscow, while Sevilla are one point further adrift in third.

Roberto Firmino opened the scoring against the Slovenian side Maribor in the fourth minute

Juergen Klopp's Liverpool have been breathtaking and infuriating in equal measure this season, but it all came together on Tuesday as they displayed their devastating attacking prowess in a 7-0 victory against Maribor. As has been the case too often this season, Liverpool's opening two Champions League draws against Sevilla and Spartak Moscow were characterised by both defensive fragility and attacking frustration. Yet from the moment Roberto Firmino opened the scoring in the fourth minute against the Slovenian side, Liverpool cut through the hosts' defence with irrepressible vim and vigour and ended up recording the biggest away win by an English team in European Cup history. The first half was only 19 minutes old by the time Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah added their names to the scoresheet -- the latter then netting his second, and the team's fourth, in the 39th minute. By the time Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai blew the final whistle, Firmino, substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and defender Trent Alexander-Arnold had scored second-half goals. "Our attitude was outstanding, we were spot on from the first second," Klopp told BT Sport. "We scored wonderful goals, played wonderful football and it looked like they were not very good, but it is difficult to play against us. "I love the fact we stayed really concentrated in the second half, we controlled the game and it was a very mature performance. "You can struggle in a game like this if you do not have a 100 percent attitude... Seven goals was wonderful, but the counter pressing I was close to celebrating it, it was so good. They are a really good football team and they could not cope with this." Such are Liverpool's attacking options at present, dynamic England midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain has had to be content with a place on the bench since his arrival from Arsenal in August. "We were very clinical and putting almost all of our chances away," the midfielder said. "It feels like we have a lot of goals in us, we create a lot of chances. "This is a competitive team, we have had a few results that have not gone our way, and I'm ready whenever I get an opportunity." With five points, Liverpool -- who welcome Maribor to Anfield next month -- lead Group E on goal difference from Spartak Moscow, while Sevilla are one point further adrift in third.

Champions League: Liverpool thrash Maribor

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho played down the touchline confrontation that flared up between him and Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp near the end of Sunday&#39;s Premier League draw. As both teams looked for a late winner in an increasingly tense match at Old Trafford, the rival managers squared up to each other but Mourinho reckoned after shaking Klopp&#39;s hand at the end of the game that there was no problem between them.

The incident occurred when United midfielder Ander Herrera pulled the shirt of Liverpool&#39;s Roberto Firmino, then fell to the floor holding his face after actually being pushed by the Brazilian in the chest. Klopp seemed to feel Mourinho was calling for Firmino to be sent off and the German evidently felt Herrera was feigning injury. The two managers then had a heated argument, Klopp getting particularly animated, as the fourth official separated them.

Asked if there had been a problem with Klopp, Mourinho told reporters: &quot;No. He thought I was asking for his player to be sent off. I wasn&#39;t. No problem at all. I think the game was correct, I think the players gave everything in an emotional way, professional way. I think the referee Michael Oliver managed very well that part of the game,&quot; Mourinho felt. &quot;I think the game was great publicity for the Premier League all around the world,&quot; he gushed.

The game ended in a tense 1-1 draw.

(Reuters)

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho had a heated touchline row with Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp during the premier league clash

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho played down the touchline confrontation that flared up between him and Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp near the end of Sunday's Premier League draw. As both teams looked for a late winner in an increasingly tense match at Old Trafford, the rival managers squared up to each other but Mourinho reckoned after shaking Klopp's hand at the end of the game that there was no problem between them. The incident occurred when United midfielder Ander Herrera pulled the shirt of Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, then fell to the floor holding his face after actually being pushed by the Brazilian in the chest. Klopp seemed to feel Mourinho was calling for Firmino to be sent off and the German evidently felt Herrera was feigning injury. The two managers then had a heated argument, Klopp getting particularly animated, as the fourth official separated them. Asked if there had been a problem with Klopp, Mourinho told reporters: "No. He thought I was asking for his player to be sent off. I wasn't. No problem at all. I think the game was correct, I think the players gave everything in an emotional way, professional way. I think the referee Michael Oliver managed very well that part of the game," Mourinho felt. "I think the game was great publicity for the Premier League all around the world," he gushed. The game ended in a tense 1-1 draw. (Reuters)

Mourinho downplays Klopp confrontation

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Football: Liverpool v Man City is a dream draw for United fans, say Klopp

Football: Liverpool are back where they belong, says Klopp after Champions League quarter-finals spot

Champions League: Klopp says Liverpool have overcome early instability

Champions League: Liverpool thrash Maribor

Mourinho downplays Klopp confrontation