The Reds host the Clarets in a Premier League noon kickoff, a fixture time Wayne Rooney famously complained about in 2011.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has jokingly scolded any fans who may not be looking forward to a 12pm kickoff by offering them some light-hearted advice and urging them to provide “atmosphere” for Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Burnley.
Anfield will play host to the Reds, who will no doubt be following how Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur fare on Saturday, and the Clarets, who remain five points above the bottom three and will want a positive result to further allay their relegation fears.
Klopp’s pre-match press conference took place on Friday morning and one of the questions he was asked by BBC Sport was regarding any potential issues or inconveniences arising from having an early kickoff.
Several years ago, former England captain Wayne Rooney famously sent a tweet in which he bemoaned noon kickoffs, saying they were “no good for players… trying to force pasta down at 9 in the morning is not nice” – for which he received quite a bit of stick.
However, no such complaints from Klopp, who responded to the BBC journo’s question by saying: “We always have this question about when we have a 12 noon kick off!
“We don’t have issues with this anymore. We need atmosphere at 12 o’clock. If you have a ticket, go to bed at 10pm latest, don’t drink and be on your toes from the first to the last second.”
Liverpool go into Sunday’s game against Sean Dyche’s side having played out a stalemate in their last game, the Merseyside derby against Everton, one of three 0-0 draws in their last six games.
However, the Reds also beat Bournemouth 3-0 and hammered Watford 5-0 recently, while Burnley lost their last two games, against Crystal Palace and Newcastle United (Sky Sports News).
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