Liverpool

In Profile: FIFA Club World Cup Winners, Liverpool

Leicester City welcome UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup winners Liverpool to King Power Stadium on Boxing Day (8pm GMT kick-off).

The 18-time English title winners go into the clash having dropped just two points in the Premier League and are 10 points clear of the second-placed Foxes in the table.

The manager

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Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp

Jürgen Klopp has won three trophies at Anfield.

FIFA Best Men's Coach of the Year, Jürgen Klopp, has built a team which is considered to be one of the strongest in world football, leading to last season's UEFA Champions League triumph in Madrid.

Klopp's playing career saw the Stuttgart-born defender-turned-striker make over 325 appearance for Mainz 05 between 1990 and 2001, following brief spells at four other clubs.

It was at Mainz 05 where Klopp began forging his managerial reputation after winning six of his opening seven matches, defying the odds and guiding them to safety in the Bundesliga 2.

The following season brought even more success as the youthful manager transformed Mainz 05 into contenders who eventually finished in fourth place in German football's second division.

While Die Nullfünfer narrowly missed out on promotion for a second successive season in 2002/03, a third-place finish during the following campaign finally allowed them to rise into the top tier. 

Despite being reported as having the smallest playing budget in the league, Klopp inspired Mainz 05 to successive 14th-place finishes, sealing qualification to the UEFA Cup in 2005/06.

When the club was relegated in 2007, Klopp stayed, but in 2008, he did leave Bruchwegstadion to join Borussia Dortmund, where he would seal successive Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012.

Klopp's intense playing style on the pitch and laid-back character off it saw him make headlines across Europe - as Dortmund also won the DFB-Pokal and the DFL-Supercup twice.

However, while the 52-year-old was a beaten Champions League finalist at Dortmund, after four years of development at Liverpool, Klopp became a European champion with the Reds in 2019.

The German has since guided the Reds to additional Super Cup and Club World Cup victories and his side are 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League table at Christmas.

The squad

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Sadio Mané
Sadio Mané

Sadio Mané has scored 13 goals in all competitions this season.

Champions League and Super Cup holders Liverpool have a fearsome array of clinical attacking players and incredibly solid, yet skilful, defenders among their ranks.

The front trio of Roberto Firmino, Mo Salah and Sadio Mané found the net a combined 69 times in all competitions last season, helping the Reds finish second in the Premier League.

Defender Virgil van Dijk's excellent performances, meanwhile, saw him nominated for the FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year award, missing out to Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

Alongside goalkeeper Alisson, who kept 27 clean sheets in 2018/19, van Dijk was one of two Liverpool players in FIFA's Team of the Year, the only players currently from the Premier League to appear.

Elsewhere, Liverpool's strength on the wings is proven by the fact that full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson registered 15 and 13 assists respectively last term.

In the summer, Daniel Sturridge, Alberto Moreno, Ádám Bogdán, Danny Ings and Simon Mignolet were among the players to leave Anfield and continue their careers elsewhere.

Earlier this month, the Reds announced the signing of Japan attacker Takumi Minamino, who will officially join the club from Red Bull Salzburg on 1 January, 2020.

The trophy cabinet 

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Liverpool lift the FIFA Club World Cup
Liverpool lift the FIFA Club World Cup

The Reds have completed the continental treble of the UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Current Premier League leaders Liverpool are the second most successful club in English top tier history, winning 18 titles, most recently being crowned champions in 1990.

The Reds have also lifted the FA Cup on a remarkable seven occasions, while the Merseyside club also hold the record for most League Cup triumphs (eight).

With six UEFA Champions League (formerly European Cup) success to their name, the Reds are English football's most successive representatives in Europe.

The penalty shootout victory over Chelsea this August in the Super Cup Final, meanwhile, secured a fourth such title in the Anfield club's history, alongside three UEFA Cups.

Including Community Shield (formerly Charity Shield) wins and Second Division titles, Liverpool have lifted 65 trophies over the course of their trophy-laden 127-year history.

A recent 1-0 win over Brazilian side Flamengo also sealed their first-ever Club World Cup success in Qatar.

The stadium

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Anfield
Anfield

Liverpool's home at Anfield is one of the most famous stadiums in world football.

With a capacity of 54,074, Anfield is the seventh largest football venue in England and has been Liverpool's home since 1892, undergoing several expansions in that time.

The iconic Kop is among the most famous stands in world football, generating a unique atmosphere on matchdays, alongside the Main Stand, Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand and the Anfield Road Stand.

Players running out at the stadium will be confronted by the famous 'This Is Anfield' sign upon their entrance to the field of play, another easily recognisable hallmark of Liverpool's home venue.

While also staging matches for rivals Everton between 1884 and 1892, Anfield has previously hosted Super League and Rugby League fixtures over its entire history.

In 2016, Leicester City were the visitors for Liverpool's first home match since the redevelopment of Anfield's new Main Stand, which increased its capacity by 8,000 seats.

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