Bayern Munich vs Liverpool - Klopp does not feel pressure despite need to deliver trophy

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp knows he has to deliver a trophy at some point but insists he does not feel the pressure of doing so.

The Reds boss said only a few people could “throw him out the club” and currently everyone was “on the same page”.

Klopp has lost two finals in his time in charge of the Reds – including last season’s Champions League final – and faces Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena on Wednesday looking to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a goalless draw at Anfield in the first leg.

Domestically they trail Manchester City by a point, despite losing just once, as they seek to win the league title for the first time in 29 years.

But while the scrutiny will only intensify if they do not come through the clash on his return to his homeland Klopp insists he does not feel it.

“The pressure and titles? We don’t set that pressure,” he said.

“We want to become champions, we are not stupid, but we don’t experience this pressure.

“The atmosphere is great in the city and at the club. If people say I need to produce success I know that but there is no pressure.

“There are only a few people who can throw me out of the club and everything is fine. We are on the same page.

“We have the strongest competition here (in Germany) to play and also the Premier League against Manchester City but we are a young team and we can develop further.

“If we deserve to win, if we play good football, it could mean the world to us. But it is only one game, a very important game, and more important games will come.”

Liverpool have not lost in their previous seven last-16 Champions League matches, winning five and not conceding any goals.

The last team to eliminate Liverpool at this stage was Benfica in 2006 when the then defending champions failed to score in both legs.

Former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp has won just nine of 31 meetings with Bayern and he knows what a prospect they will be despite their defensive performance at Anfield.

“You see how football changed: Bayern came to Liverpool and we had to explain to people we were not the massive favourites in that game,” he added.

“They showed a lot of respect, they defended on a high level. In open games, you can always win and that’s the first thing to do, to create an open game. If we score a goal we have an advantage. We have to prove how much we want to make it into the last 16 and if we can make that then we deserve it.

“I don’t want to make any Bayern fans angry but to our Liverpool fans, I’d say ‘Don’t hesitate. You can be loud’. The atmosphere here is good. We have only one chance to calm it down and it is with football. It is a good place to come, a good place to enjoy football.”

Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac admits the visit of Liverpool is a personal highlight for him but knows nothing other than a victory will suffice.

The former Croatia international adopted a deferential tone, not what you usually expect from the manager of five-time European champions and a team which has a record 28 Bundesliga titles, when talking about their opponents.

“I’ve qualified for the World Cup and led Eintracht Frankfurt in the relegation play-off – that was the worst – but tomorrow is a highlight,” Kovac told a press conference.

“The world will be watching us. Everyone’s excited: the players, the coaches, the fans and the media.

“It’s a tough game and the pressure is always on in knockout games but that’s a positive, not a negative.”