Klopp ready for ´great´ Spurs challenge

Jurgen Klopp believes Tottenham closely resemble runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City, with the Liverpool boss preparing to take on Spurs on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side flexed their muscles on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Wembley, a result that moved them to within two points of the top four.

A similar result in Sunday’s clash at Anfield would see Spurs overtake Liverpool in the table, and they will be confident after winning the reverse fixture 4-1 in October.

Klopp hopes his side have improved since that disappointing defeat in north London, but concedes facing Tottenham is almost as tough as coming up against Pep Guardiola’s leaders.

“The Tottenham game at Wembley was not a good game for us, they had a good start, good middle and good end, that’s why they won,” Klopp told his pre-match media conference.

“They have the most similar game to City, not the same but similar. To beat one of the best teams in England means we have to put in our best performance, it is a great challenge.

“I like games like this, when you know what they are going to do but it’s difficult to deal with. Tottenham has to think about our strengths, we have to think about their strengths.”

Klopp: “It could be a game like it was against City, but as we said after that game, it’s rare that in a game that everyone expects so much that it’s a fantastic football game.”https://t.co/FVvhvOOMHU pic.twitter.com/EeZb0uqNiR

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 2, 2018

Klopp – who masterminded City’s only league defeat of the season last month – added: “It’s a very important part of the season, it’s a six-point game. 

“The only advantage a team can have is to play at home, that’s good and I’m looking forward to it.

“They are in a good moment, our moment is not too bad as well so it should be interesting.”

Klopp hopes Sadio Mane can find another level to help Liverpool achieve their top-four targets after struggling to replicate the sensational form of his debut campaign at Anfield.

“I don’t think too much about it [Mane’s form],” said the German.
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“Even if not at his best he is still a threat.

“Sadio on an average day is still a fantastic player. He had interruptions this season, which is not ideal. He can play better, we all know that, so we are going to help him.”