Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel knows he will face a 'very competitive' Jurgen Klopp at Anfield on Thursday night. The Blues manager's comments on his counterpart reveal the huge respect he has for the Liverpool boss ahead of the Premier League showdown.
Liverpool host Chelsea with both sides desperate to climb back into the Champions League places.
A draw would see the Londoners overhaul West Ham in fourth place, while Liverpool need a victory to climb back into the top four.
Klopp and Tuchel of course have much in common, with both German coaches having managed Borussia Dortmund and Mainz in the Bundesliga and both employing a high-pressing style.
After Klopp left Mainz in 2008, Tuchel eventually succeeded him in the hotseat. And the Chelsea boss replaced his countryman when Dortmund came calling in 2015.
Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel will face each other for the first time in the Premier League (Image: GETTY)
A year later, the two met when Klopp took his Liverpool side back to his old stomping ground in the Champions League.
Ahead of the game, Tuchel made it clear he expected the Westfalenstadion faithful to give a hearty reception to the man who led Dortmund to successive Bundesliga titles between 2010 and 2012.
"Anything else but a warm welcome will be a big surprise - he deserves it," Tuchel said of his predecessor.
"He did a great job over the years here and I am 100 per cent sure that nobody forgot this time, or forgets about him. It's not necessary to forget it and put it aside.
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"But I will just say, I know Jurgen and he is a very competitive guy and a very competitive coach. He is one of the most competitive guys I know.
"But, the moment the whistle blows he wants to win and is eager to win. We are as well."
As it turned out, neither man won on the night, with Divock Origi's first-half strike cancelled out by Mats Hummels after the break.
In the return leg, Liverpool staged one of their dramatic European comebacks, fighting back from 2-0 and 3-1 down to win 4-3 thanks to an injury-time winner from Dejan Lovren.
The two were Bundesliga rivals when Tuchel was in charge of Mainz and Klopp was Dortmund boss (Image: GETTY)
"Tuchel v Klopp could end up being one of the great rivalries in the Premier League over the next few years, and this first instalment is unmissable," the 57-year-old told the Chelseawebsite.