Jurgen Klopp confident Liverpool can compete with the best
Manager Jurgen Klopp is confident Liverpool can bridge the gap to the Premier League's big-spenders and promised to give their top-four rivals "hell" this season.
Saturday's visit of champions Leicester, who won the title on a budget considerably smaller than some of the so-called bigger clubs, will also mark the first use of the new Main Stand at Anfield which has increased capacity to 54,000.
While that has helped reduce the deficit with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City - who all had bigger net spends in the summer transfer window - off the pitch, Klopp admits what really matters is what happens on the field of play.
"We are the only people that can change our circumstances, nobody else will do it for you," he said.
"You can say 'But they have this, they have that' - it is useless. We will work with what we have.
"We have to do more from our side. We want to go to the best teams in the world and give them hell in the moment we face them - in Manchester, in London, wherever I don't care. This is football.
"If there is one part of life where you can challenge the best in the world, then it's football.
"It depends on our attitude. If always the people with the best circumstances would win, this world would be an ugly place.
"We all have the chance to fight for everything. It's not about having a guarantee, it's about having the opportunity.
"And now, looking at this (the new stand), it's even better. On a day like this, we shouldn't think someone has more than us, but only how much we have to use."
Chairman Tom Werner, who was on Merseyside with principal owner John Henry and Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon for the official opening of the new stand, is also confident the club can now compete with wealthier rivals.
"Today was a step forward," he said after the ceremony to open the B#115million rebuild, which has added an additional 8,500 seats and taken the ground's capacity to 54,000.
"There is still a gap but in the end it's about the performance on the pitch.
"You can see Leicester won the league last year without the highest payroll. It's all about winning football and I think this will certainly contribute to that."
Reds midfielder Emre Can and defender Ragnar Klavan will not be fit for the visit of Leicester.
The Germany international injured an ankle in the EFL Cup win over Burton on August 23 and will not be ready while Estonia centre-back Klavan reported back from international duty with a gashed and bruised knee.
Goalkeeper Loris Karius has returned to training after surgery on a broken hand and is likely to be on the bench.
Meanwhile, Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri has told Jamie Vardy to prove to England boss Sam Allardyce he deserves to play.
The forward was left on the bench for the Three Lions' last-gasp 1-0 win in Slovakia on Sunday despite Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney continuing to misfire.
Daniel Sturridge was preferred ahead of Vardy off the bench despite the Liverpool forward's recent injury struggles.
Ranieri believes Vardy, last season's 24-goal top scorer, will be ready for Leicester's trip to Liverpool because he did not feature for his country but wants him to prove a point to new international boss Allardyce.
He said: "Yes he's refreshed, he trained very well, for me it is good - for him no, maybe he is more hungry. Show me. You have to fight and say 'hey Sam I am ready to play'.
"It wasn't only Jamie. Also (Daniel) Amartey, (Danny) Drinkwater, Ben Chilwell, Shinji Okazaki and a lot of my players went around the world without playing.
"That's good. They recover a little more. If these managers are national managers they want the players and we must understand the international managers need players and then they can choose.
"It's important that everybody is in good condition."
Vardy scored one of the goals of the season against Liverpool last term when he netted a brilliant volley in their 2-0 win in February as the Foxes marched to the title by 10 points.
It is Liverpool's first home game of the season and Ranieri believes Vardy and Leicester need to be confident.
"Yes, but he must be confident," said the Italian, who could hand record B#28million signing Islam Slimani a debut at Anfield. "We are a very strong team. We didn't win the title because we are lucky. We won because we were better than the others. We must be confident.
"It was a special moment. But I forgot. Believe me, always I forget what happened yesterday."
Source: PAR
