Jürgen Klopp tackled a wide range of questions from the world’s media as he previewed Liverpool’s Champions League opener with Paris Saint-Germain at an Anfield press conference on Monday. The Reds get their European campaign up and running on Tuesday night with a mouth-watering encounter with the French champions on Merseyside. It promises to be an occasion to savour and, as a result, the press room at the stadium was packed out with reporters and television cameras keen to capture the thoughts of Klopp. Read on for a summary of five key points from the media briefing… No negative impact… Liverpool’s clash with PSG is their second fixture of seven in just 23 days. Klopp was asked whether the onset of the Champions League had a negative impact on their Premier League form last season, particularly given how they contested 13 games in the tournament proper after making it all the way to the Kiev final. “No, there was no impact,” was the manager’s reply. “It was difficult in the end of the season, but we didn’t have the problems because of the Champions League games we played. Of course, if you go far in the competition it is clear that from September until May you will have a lot of games. “We got the injuries – most of them – in a time when we didn’t play Champions League, January and early February, and that made life difficult. That’s why we played the last part of the season – the last five Premier League games, the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of the Champions League – with around about 12 senior players, but it was still a good journey and we enjoyed it.” Built for Champions League… PSG will arrive at Anfield on Tuesday night boasting one of the most renowned forward lines in world football and Klopp acknowledged the French champions will provide his side with a stern test as they bid to get off to a winning start in Champions League group C. “Winning the first game is always an advantage, but we haven’t won it yet – we have to play it and it will be really difficult,” he said. “PSG are one of the favourites for the competition that’s for sure. This team is built for winning the Champions League. It will be an interesting game for sure. With the players they have and the manager they have, they all brought it together to go as far as possible in the Champions League and we are aware of that.” One to watch… The teams’ two forward lines have scored a staggering 199 goals between them since the start of last season. Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have struck 99 times, while Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have hit the century. Little wonder then Klopp admitted if he wasn’t involved in the game, he’d most certainly be watching it on TV. “I like these challenges but I only like it because I have a good team – a really good football team – and so that’s why I say, if I would not be the manager, I would watch this game 100 per cent.” Renewing old rivalries… Klopp will come up against a familiar face in the opposition dugout tomorrow night in the form of Thomas Tuchel. Like our boss, the German coached FSV Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund before joining PSG in the summer. Indeed, he was the man in charge of BVB when they met the Reds in the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2015-16 – a tie we’re sure you probably remember. Having won eight of his 12 meetings with Tuchel, Klopp was asked about his record against the 45-year-old. “Always with records, it is always pretty difficult to explain something because when I was at Dortmund I had a pretty strong side and he was at Mainz and did an outstanding job there, but it’s not really fair to bring that up when you talk about the record,” he said. “He is an outstanding coach – an outstanding coach – and I really thought it was a smart decision from PSG to sign Thomas Tuchel. He is one of the best I know and that makes it a big challenge for us.” Need some time to think… A journalist from France wanted to know which of PSG’s stars Klopp felt will pose the biggest threat to Liverpool tomorrow. Jürgen’s reply was straight to the point. “Even if I would think 24 hours or longer about it, I cannot decide.” Easy work for the interpreter positioned at the top table, although his next translation took over two minutes following a much lengthier answer from the boss, much to Klopp's amusement.<doc-sep>Salutations! It's Monday afternoon and we have a real treat for you. Jurgen Klopp is about to meet the media ahead of Liverpool's clash with PSG in their Champions League Group C opener tomorrow. Happily, skipper Jordan Henderson has also joined the boss at Anfield for a bumper press conference preview. Our man James Pearce is in attendance to bring you live updates of the affair with the rest of the team ensuring you don't miss a word back at ECHO HQ. The Reds have won all five of their possible Premier League encounters this season and have conceded just two goals in the process, meaning Liverpudlians across the world will be expectant of a big performance tomorrow night. Before that, though, Jurgen will provide a fitness update, team news and everything inbetween as the Reds search for Champions League number six under his guidance this term.<doc-sep>✕ Close Klopp on Liverpool's 2-1 win against Tottenham: 'It was our best game of the season' Liverpool get their Champions League campaign underway on Tuesday when they welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Anfield. After making it to last season’s final, where they lost to Real Madrid, Jurgen Klopp and his men will be looking to go one better this time around. They face a PSG side that has routinely been tipped for European glory in recent years but one that repeatedly continues to underwhelm. Klopp spoke to preview Tuesday night’s match at Melwood and discussed Roberto Firmino, Neymar and much more. Please allow a moment for the live blog to load.<doc-sep>
Jurgen Klopp has defended Neymar's playacting - saying that it is SMART. Samba superstar Neymar has attracted heavy criticism about his on-pitch antics over the past few years. He received bad press for his overreactions during the summer's World Cup as Brazil crashed out in the quarter-finals to Belgium, where he was accused of going down too often and too easily. Neymar heads to the Liverpool on Tuesday night for the blockbuster Champions League opener with Paris Saint-Germain. But instead of lamenting Neymar for his actions, Klopp claims that Neymar is actually intelligent. (Image: AFP) (Image: AFP) "I don’t know exactly what you are talking about," Klopp said during his pre-match press conference. “I saw a few games at the World Cup when it looked like he made a bit more of the situation. That’s a completely normal reaction because players are really going for him. That’s the truth. “He has to protect himself. If the opponent gets a yellow card he is closer to a red card. It is smart." (Image: AFP) (Image: Getty Images Europe) Klopp claims that Liverpool will not single out Neymar for specialist treatment during the fixture - and will certainly not be looking to rough him up. "We don’t go for him against us. We want to play football. We want to win the ball. We don’t try to act on these type of things. “We try to avoid passes to him. It’s a big job. I don’t know if it’s possible to avoid his quality. I’m pretty sure it’s not. (Image: REUTERS) (Image: Getty Images Europe) “He’s an outstanding player. He was not fit at the World Cup. He tried to play for his country without being fit. "I don’t think he’s a person who wants to act because if you do that you cannot play the football he plays. “He got rested at the weekend so he’ll be 100 per cent fresh. He won’t be injured. We’ll see the full package, the football package, and we have to cope with that.” Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson also claims that Liverpool will not be thinking about Neymar's playacting heading into the fixture. “It’s not something we’ll think about," he said. (Image: Getty Images Europe) “He’s a world-class player and a tough opponent but we’ve proved before we can stop that. “He gets kicked a lot so he needs to use it as best he can but for us we treat it as a normal game, a big game, we’ve proved against big teams before than we can perform and he’s just one of many top players in that team. “We have to stop the whole team. It’ll be difficult but we’re a good team as well and we can cause them problems.”