Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool's quadruple bid has been the “most exciting time of my life” - as Bruno Lage promised Wolves will not be fazed by Anfield’s final day passion.
Whether his Liverpool stars end up with two, three or four trophies after already winning the FA and Carabao Cups, Klopp reckons this has been a season like no other. He said: “Definitely. Absolutely. I've been lucky enough to have had a few exciting times.
“And if you ask my missus she asks 'why does it always go down to the last match day?'. It happens incredibly often. It's the most exciting because seeing how good the boys are and seeing the steps that we've made and just two games to go.
“It's unbelievable. It feel like five minutes ago it was seven games. Now, wham, here we go two finals. We've played finals since ages, but now it really is two finals against Wolves and Real Madrid. It's absolutely massive and, yes, it's the most exciting time of my career.” Meanwhile, opposite number Lage has shrugged off suggestions that the Black Country club will be intimidated as the Reds chase their 20th top-flight league title.
Liverpool’s home is set to be cauldron of noise as Klopp’s men chase the victory that will heap pressure upon rivals Manchester City. But Lage says that a stint in the hot-seat with Benfica has prepared him for whatever comes his way Sunday afternoon - and that several of his players have experienced similar. Asked if he was ready for the trial on Merseyside, Lage said: “I lived that kind of passion for two years with Benfica.
“Go and check YouTube and see the way we arrived at our stadium to play our final game of the season three years ago. We had to win our last game against Santa Clara to win the league and see how our fans turned out to support us. I get goosebumps every time I think back to it. And if you also saw the way the Benfica fans celebrated in the Marques de Pombal when we won the 37th title, you would understand.
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“So, for me, it’s the same atmosphere that I’m looking forward to experiencing. It’s important for these players to love these moments. And most of them do because we have big players who have come from Porto, Sporting and Benfica - they’ve experienced it before. They know what it means to Liverpool’s players.”
Lage said that even if Jurgen Klopp and his players miss out, they should still be happy with second place. He added: "It's going to be difficult for both teams. For us it's going to be hard because they are doing such a fantastic job. For them it will be hard because they know they can win the league. If they finish second they should be proud and happy because if they lose it will only be on the final day.
"The goals they have scored and the points they have collected would have won them the league comfortably in many previous seasons. They still have a big final to play against Real Madrid so they are doing a fantastic job whatever happens. And we want to have a good finish to the season for our fans.”
