IT’S the eve of the Reds return to Anfield, with the main stand being officially unveiled in front of the press today — alongside a few guest speakers and some special guests.

The excitement is building ahead of the visit of Leicester City, and Jürgen Klopp has been careful to put a lid on the excitement by taking the players to train in front of the new Main Stand — so they don’t just stand there looking at it on Saturday.

Klopp Talk

Klopp spoke to the masses of important people present at Anfield today. The German said that the new stand is one of the nicest he has ever seen, and even mentions the ‘Yellow Wall’ at Dortmund — have that, lads.

He also emphasised the need to get behind the team, saying: “This is the best thing we could do with a stadium like this. Everyone who comes tomorrow be as loud as you can.

“We have to use the quality of the players and the power of our supporters, and then it can work.”

That’s all the motivation we need. INTO THESE, REDS.

More Speaking

Tom Werner said some nice things about the club — you’d be worried if not. He said: “We fell in love with Anfield the first time we stepped foot here. It’s more than just a building, it’s a collection of shared memories and experiences.

“Anfield isn’t just where we play matches, it’s home and just as much part of the identity of this club as the liver bird on the crest of the shirt.

“Tomorrow marks a new chapter for this great club as we continue our journey at Anfield. Our fans can come together to make an even better atmosphere that our opponents should fear.”

Ian Ayre also worked the crowd — I imagine he had some boss opening jokes up his sleeve, probably didn’t go down well — and he said: “What a very good morning for the football club. I remember the first day showing John and the other directors of FSG around the stadium. John said to me: ‘why would we ever move from here?’ Why indeed.

“This is an occasion that will go down in the history of the football club. This stand was FSG’s vision from the start of their ownership. It’s fantastic to see that vision become a reality.”

Nice words there. All good stuff.

Aquilani Quotes

He wasn’t at the Main Stand opening — probably for the best. But, to be fair, Alberto Aquilani has also said some nice things about our club today, when quizzed about his exit from Anfield.

He said: “I had a great time with Liverpool and I had the honour of wearing a special shirt and playing in an incredible stadium. Then I decided to leave, and perhaps I was a bit hasty.

“Maybe I should have stayed and continued playing in the Premier League, but I wanted to come back to Italy for family reasons. Nobody forced me out.”

Lot of nice, this. Good karma for tomorrow? Have I just cursed that?

Something Off?

A lot of new stand talk today. Some people might forget there is a footie match on. But since we’re talking about the stand, is it just us lot that think this isn’t right? Have the Reds created some sort of optical illusion which is gonna win us loads of games? I hope so.

https://www.facebook.com/TheAnfieldWrap/photos/a.511879405508330.131923.205954299434177/1369066033122992/?type=3&theater

Pre-Leicester Words

Loads of pre-Leicester natter to get stuck into today. First is Gutmann’s Big Match Preview, ahead of our highly anticipated homecoming. Read that here.

I spoke to Rob Tanner, football writer from the Leicester Mercury, for our latest instalment of Enemy Lines getting the latest on our upcoming opponents. Read it here.

Mike Nevin’s column isn’t so much Leicester chat, more of the Main Stand talk and what it means for the future, which you can read here.

Finally, Sean Rogers has had a tactical look at how the Reds may set up for the visit of the Foxes — it’s always boss. Read that here.

That’s all for today. See you at Anfield.

Listen to the latest *free* Anfield Wrap podcast here:

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