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Cape Town - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has emphasised the importance of the Reds' UEFA Champions League Group E clash with Spartak Moscow on Wednesday night.
The Merseyside club are sitting top of their group with one game left before the last-16 stage. They lead second-placed Sevilla by one point, while Spartak are three points behind Liverpool. A draw would secure their place in the knockout stage, and a win would see them qualify in first position. However, losing could see Klopp's men knocked into the Europa League.
"We have a very important job to do tonight - and that means all of us connected with Liverpool Football Club. Players of course, but also staff, supporters certainly, and yes me as the manager," Klopp wrote in This is Anfield.
"So much hard work culminates in what happens over this coming 90 minutes, and I don’t say this to make pressure or worry – I say this because it is our situation.
"At full-time we will either be able to enjoy and celebrate reaching the knockout stages of this amazing competition or our involvement in the Champions League will be over for another season. This is what is at stake this evening and we all recognise there is a very big task in front of us.
"Again: this is not about pressure – this is about opportunity. I want everyone inside Anfield with a beating red heart to embrace this opportunity.
"We have done so before. We did it in the final game of last season when we knew we had to beat Middlesbrough to qualify for the Champions League. We did it back in August against Hoffenheim when we needed to reach the actual group stages. And tonight there is another big job to do."
