Jurgen Klopp has once more called to end the homophobic chanting aimed at Chelsea ahead of Saturday's lunchtime kick-off at Anfield.
The Reds host the Londoners in the first home Premier League game of the calendar year and welcome a side who are one place below them in the table in 10th.
Fixtures with Chelsea have been marred by chanting of a homophobic nature for years and Klopp, with the help of the club, sat down with Paul Amann, of LGBT+ fan group Kop Outs, to urge match-goers to refrain from using it going forward after some were heard aiming the specific slur at Billy Gilmour in August 2021, when the Scotland international was on loan at Norwich from Saturday's opponents.
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Speaking in his programme notes ahead of the match, Klopp has reiterated his opposition to the chant and believes it is time that the offensive song was discontinued on the terraces.
"With Chelsea being our opponents, it makes sense that I also show gratitude to our supporters for the work they have done in stopping a chant which does not fit in with the traits of our city, our club or our people," Klopp said ahead of Saturday's game.
"I will not refer to it by name in this column because I think the less we can hear about it and see it the better but the really, really positive thing is that fans have come together to try to make it a thing of the past."
Klopp added: “We can already feel the effects of this. Positive steps have been made and hopefully this will allow our supporters from the LGBT+ community to feel as welcome as they should.
"This was the message I received when I spoke with Paul Amann from Kop Outs a couple of years ago. He just wanted the chant to stop so that our all our fans could feel more welcome.
"I did not think it was too much of an ask then and I do not think it is too much of an ask now so it is good to see the support Kop Outs are receiving. Hopefully this will carry on not only today but also in the future."
Kop Outs is officially backed by Liverpool FC and was formed in 2016 to provide a voice for LGBT+ supporters and represent their needs while also raising awareness of the challenges and concerns they continue to face.
In August, Mr Amann was named as Kop Outs representative on the 16-person LFC Supporters Board that was launched to provide meaningful fan representation at boardroom level.
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