Jurgen Klopp will return to Signal Iduna Park for the first time since leaving last summer when he takes his Liverpool side to face Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday evening.
The German oversaw 319 matches in charge of the Bundesliga outfit, steering them to two league titles, a domestic cup and the final of the Champions League before his departure at the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
Dortmund
The home fans are expected to give a rapturous reception to Klopp will definitely receive a very warm welcome at Westfalenstadion having seen him transform their club back into a European force during his time in charge.
That is not to say that they will do him any favors on Thursday evening, though, as Dortmund to justify their tag of tournament favorites once again.
Liverpool face a very difficult task as Bayern Munich are the only visiting team to have avoided defeat at the Westfalenstadion in the last nine matches – one of only three games that Dortmund have failed to win there during that 27-match streak.
Few know the stadium and the effect it can have on the hosts better than Klopp, though, and he will be ensuring that his new side are in no doubt as to what they are up against on Thursday.
Recent form: LLWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWWWWW
Liverpool
Klopp is not exactly a reserved man at the best of times, but it is sure to be an extra-emotional occasion for him when he returns to the club where he became a household name.
The odds are stacked against his side, but they have shown on a number of occasions this season that they are capable of rising to the big occasion, and if anyone can bring down the favourites, then it makes sense that their former boss, who developed such a bond with his players during his time at the club, would be the man to do it.
Despite their impressive European pedigree, this is the first time that they have reached the quarter-finals of a UEFA competition since the 2009-10 season, and Klopp will need to pull off an upset against his former employers if he is to take them any further.
Recent form: WDDWWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWDLD
LINE UPS
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Burki; Piszczek, Ginter, Hummels, Schmelzer; Weigl, Castro, Durm, Mkhitaryan, Reus; Aubameyang
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno; Henderson, Can, Milner, Lallana, Coutinho; Sturridge
Head To Head
These two sides have met three times in European competition before, with the record evenly split at one win apiece and a draw so far.
The most notable meeting between the two sides was in the 1966 European Cup Winners’ Cup final, when Bill Shankly’s Liverpool were beaten 2-1 in Glasgow. They also met twice in the 2001-02 Champions League group stages, with Liverpool drawing 0-0 in Dortmund before a 2-0 win at Anfield
Preview : Borussia Dortmund vs. Liverpool
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