Liverpool vs Red Star Belgrade preview: Jurgen Klopp wants Reds to attack

Liverpool know that nothing less than three points will do when they take on Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Jurgen Klopp's side head into the Group C clash at Anfield sitting second in the table after two games, a point behind leaders Napoli, who they lost to last time out.

However, with the Italians now facing back-to-back fixtures against Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain - who sit level on points with Liverpool - Klopp knows his team cannot afford any slip-ups against Red Star if they wish to progress to the knockout phase of the competition.

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"The first job we have is to win football games," said Klopp. "We compare always with the good games of last season, never the average ones.

"All the games we won [this season] we probably deserved to win. And when we lost to Napoli, we deserved to lose. We have to perform.

"Of course we can do a lot of things better than we did so far. But the basis we have created is pretty good, football-wise and point-wise. Now we have to build on it.

Despite a 26-year absence from Europe's premier club competition, Klopp is still expecting a tough examination from the Serbian champions.

"Red Star are the team of Serbia, and made it really difficult for Napoli," said the German. "And for PSG, even if the score wouldn't make you think so."

"When we have the ball, we have to attack with all that we have."

Team news

Sadio Mane is set to return after declaring himself fully recovered from the broken thumb he sustained on international duty, while midfielder James Milner is in contention despite being substituted in Saturday's 1-0 win at Huddersfield with a tight hamstring.

Fellow midfielders Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita have been ruled out with hamstring problems though.

Meanwhile, Red Star boss Vladan Milojevic is missing key winger Marko Marin after the former Chelsea player failed to recover from the injury that saw him miss the club's 3-1 win over Rad Beograd in the league on Saturday.

The visitors will also be without left-back Milan Rodic and midfielder Jonathan Cafu, who is on loan from Bordeaux, at Anfield.

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Opta stats

• The only previous meetings between Crvena Zvedza and Liverpool were in the last 16 of the 1973-74 European Cup - the Serbian side won both legs by a 2-1 scoreline.
• Liverpool's only previous meeting with Serbian sides in European competition was against Crvena Zvezda in the 1973-74 European Cup, losing both legs of the last 16 by a 2-1 scoreline.
• Red Star Belgrade have won just one of their nine away games against English opposition (D4 L4), though it did come against Liverpool in November 1973.
• Excluding qualifiers, Liverpool are unbeaten in each of their last 16 home games in major European competitions (W11 D5), scoring 39 goals in that time.
• Liverpool have lost three of their last four Champions League games (W1), as many as their previous 17 combined in the competition (W8 D6 L3).
• Crvena Zvezda have only won one of their last eight games in major European competitions (excluding qualifiers), drawing four and losing the other three. They have scored just two goals in those eight games.
• Liverpool haven't lost back-to-back games in the Champions League group stage since November 2014 (three in a row).
• Marko Marin scored Crvena Zvezda's first ever goal in the Champions League in their last match against PSG - it was his first goal in the competition since his debut for Werder Bremen against Tottenham Hotspur in September 2010.

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Charlie's prediction

This is a nice head-to-head scenario for Liverpool.

These teams can be awkward and Liverpool have not been firing but it's still been a great start to the league. Mohamed Salah got his goal at the weekend, which is important. Daniel Sturridge got a game and Fabinho got 20 minutes, so there's competition for places there and I can't see anything other than them winning comfortably.

CHARLIE PREDICTS: 4-0 (6/1 with Sky Bet)

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