Jurgen Klopp says Villarreal will not enjoy the advantage of being underestimated when they visit Liverpool for the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
The Reds host Unai Emery's side in the first leg of their last-four tie ahead of the return game in Spain next Tuesday and the Yellow Submarine have been the surprise package of this season's European Cup.
Emery's men have reached the semis by beating Juventus and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages and while Klopp is full of respect for what the former Arsenal boss has achieved with the current Europa League holders, the Liverpool manager says he won't be taking them lightly either.
READ MORE: Liverpool explain Harvey Elliott appearance after first-team absence
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp to reward Liverpool substitute as Naby Keita decision looms
Klopp said: "We are here because we had the results we needed and that is it. We don’t have to talk today about other competitions because our focus is on Villarreal and the semi-final, it is absolutely special to be part of the semi-final.
"It's crazy really. It is a massive game. So many coaches out there work their socks off their whole life and have no chance to be close to a semi final and we are there, so we have to cherish it, appreciate it and enjoy it. We face a very tough opponent who are made for this competition.
"The way they set it up is really really good. There might have been a little advantage in the last two games, maybe Juve or Bayern underestimated them but that will never happen to us, especially after the last four games, so this little advantage may have gone.
"But they are still a really good football team who want to make history as well, it would be the first time they go to a (Champions League) final, which would be a massive thing to Villarreal I can imagine, but it is of the same importance for us. We want to go there with all we have. So that is what we have to show tomorrow night.
"We have properly analysed them and I have a lot of respect for Emery and Villarreal before because I saw the games but only with one eye against Juventus and Bayern Munich a little bit. And meanwhile I watched them properly and wow, impressive!
Unai, when you watch his teams, looks like he is a detail-obsessed manager who prepares for all situations in the game and that is what his team executes, different ways to build up, press and react to different results.
"It is all really impressive. Unai is a world-class coach and doing a really good job there. Saying that, the good thing about us analysing the games is that we are not involved in all the games. Our job is to make life as difficult as possible for them and that is what we try to do."
A run of 21 wins and three draws from the last 25 games have enabled Klopp's side to continue their fight on all fronts and having won the Carabao Cup at the end of February, the Reds are still in contention for an unprecedented quadruple.
Asked when Liverpool's season changed, the German pinpointed his return to work following a COVID-19 diagnosis at the start of 2022.
He added: "I think the moment was when I came back from my COVID break, when I watched the game against Chelsea and the next league game was Brentford.
"We were 14 points behind (Manchester City), we had two games in hand and we just decided let’s give it a try because it is easy in these moments. We have big expectations and then we played an okay season until then, but not an outstanding season and then there is something to go for. In our situation it is always the same.
"The main thing we have to do is qualify for the Champions League for the next year, it is a big thing and we did it two games ago after the Manchester United game. It slipped through my fingers, which has never happened before in my life. Usually we really celebrate that.
"Since then it is each game a final, each football game should be like a final but if you have to make it up too much it is maybe not that clear. We will not change unless someone tells us it is not worth fighting any more."
