Jurgen Klopp says he wishes Liverpool could play the FA Cup final closer to home.
The Reds take on Chelsea in the domestic cup final tomorrow evening. Previewing the game for liverpoolfc.com in the, Klopp said he wishes it could be played a little nearer, but was so excited for Liverpool playing at Wembley again.
“Massive atmosphere, really, and I expect exactly the same again,” said The Reds boss. “It’s outstanding. Wembley is a great stadium. It would be nice if it could be a bit closer to Liverpool, to be honest, because it’s always a proper trip, but that’s the only negative thing I can say about it.”
Klopp was also keen to put assumptions that he doesn’t like the English cup competitions to bed.
“People always said I’m not the biggest fan of the domestic cup competitions – that’s not true, it just never happened. Now this year it happened the second time. I honestly can’t wait to feel the atmosphere again,” he said.
On the way to Anfield South
There’s a reason why Wembley used to be referred to as ‘Anfield South.’ At one stage The Reds were there so often that it started to feel like home.
Since the new Wembley was finished in 2007 though, Liverpool have found visits difficult to come by.
That all looks to be a thing of the past now. Saturday will be the third time this season that Klopp’s team have travelled to England’s national stadium.
Despite the cost of the long journey, Liverpool fans will head to Wembley in their droves. Hopefully it’ll all be worth it to see their team do the domestic double for the fist time in 21 years.
Chelsea standing in the way
Liverpool may have been to Wembley three times this season, but Chelsea can match them on that, too.
Thomas Tuchel’s side also have a much shorter distance to travel than Liverpool. That kind of thing may not matter too much – footballer’s are used to travelling big distances all the time – but in a final, the little things count.
The Blues will also be desperate to avenge February’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool. Caoimhin Kelleher was their nemesis on that occasion. If any more motivation were needed, they’ve been runners-up for the last two FA Cup campaigns. They’ll want to avoid the hat-trick tomorrow.
Liverpool playing at Wembley is always a treat. It may not be the biggest game left on the calendar, but it’s another chance for silverware and one we absolutely can’t wait for.
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