Liverpool Will Give Europa League Full Respect, Says Klopp 

Juergen Klopp manager of Liverpool applauds the fans after the English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool FC in Wolverhampton, Britain, 16 September 2023. (EPA)
Juergen Klopp manager of Liverpool applauds the fans after the English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool FC in Wolverhampton, Britain, 16 September 2023. (EPA)
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Liverpool Will Give Europa League Full Respect, Says Klopp 

Juergen Klopp manager of Liverpool applauds the fans after the English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool FC in Wolverhampton, Britain, 16 September 2023. (EPA)
Juergen Klopp manager of Liverpool applauds the fans after the English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool FC in Wolverhampton, Britain, 16 September 2023. (EPA)

Liverpool will approach the Europa League in the "right manner" and have the squad depth to be successful in both the Premier League and Europe's second-tier competition, manager Juergen Klopp said.

Six-time European champions Liverpool have missed out on the Champions League for the first time since Klopp's first full season in 2016-17.

They reached the final of the 2016 Europa League under the German and he said reaching the title decider was the target once again.

"First and foremost, I think we all have to make sure that we all respect the competition in the right manner, that we respect the opponents in the right manner," he told TNT Sports.

"I would love to go to the final, obviously, but I have no clue if we can reach that because there will be a lot of fantastic football teams in between us and that target, so we have to make sure we perform."

Liverpool kick off their Europa campaign with a trip to Austria's LASK on Thursday before hosting West Ham United in the league on Sunday.

Klopp said that while the talent coming through Liverpool's academy means the "future's bright" for the club, he would not use the Europa League as a proving ground for young players.

"We have real talent there, but it is not experimental," he added. "I think if we don't get hit by an injury crisis then we should have enough players to field Thursday and Sunday a top team, and that's pretty much the idea."



Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Saudi Team Highlights Cultural Heritage

Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
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Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Saudi Team Highlights Cultural Heritage

Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and his deputy, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris.

Held outside the traditional stadiums for the first time in history, the ceremony featured a parade of the 206 participating countries on 100 boats traveling approximately 6 kilometers along the Seine River.

The Saudi show jumping team player, Ramzy Al-Duhami, and his colleague, the Saudi Taekwondo champion Dunya Aboutaleb, raised the Saudi flag at the opening of the world’s largest sporting event.

Al-Duhami expressed his pride in raising the Kingdom’s flag alongside his teammate, noting that it was a dream for any Saudi citizen. He wished success for the Saudi athletes in representing Saudi sports with distinction.

Aboutaleb, in turn, said he was honored to carry the Kingdom’s flag at the Olympic Games, stating: “I aspire to perform at a level that reflects the support and attention given to sports in the Kingdom.”

The Saudi athletes’ uniform was admired by the international media and the audience, who applauded the players the moment their boat appeared on the Seine River.

The designs for the opening ceremony were chosen through a national competition organized by the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, with the participation of designers from across the Kingdom.

Out of 128 competing designers, the chosen uniform by Saudi designer Alia Al-Salmi featured traditional men’s thobes and bishts and brightly patterned thobe al-nashal for women, symbolizing the athletes’ pride in their homeland and cultural roots.

Mashael Al-Ayed, 17, will be the first Saudi athlete to compete, taking to the pool for the 200 meters freestyle swimming event on July 28. Al-Ayed is the first female swimmer to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics.