Liverpool are a big name with a lot of history but I'm not in awe, insists Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann
- Liverpool host Hoffenheim in the second leg of their Champions League play-off
- Hoffenheim trail 2-1 and need to score at least two away goals to progress
- The German side go into the match at Anfield as underdogs
Julian Nagelsmann is 'not in awe' of Liverpool and wants to shock Hoffenheim's Bundesliga rivals by dumping them out of the Champions League.
Hoffenheim arrived on Merseyside earlier on Tuesday as they look to surprise Jurgen Klopp's Reds at Anfield.
And their impressive youthful manager claimed they are ready to upset the odds and reach the group stages for the first time.
Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann says he is 'not in awe' of Liverpool
Nagelsmann was speaking ahead of their Champions League play-off second leg with the Reds
'People in Germany will be pleased if we make it,' Nagelsmann said. 'There will be surprise because people aren't betting on us. We're full of confidence.
'If we win people might be a bit shocked when we return home on Thursday.
'I'm not in awe of this club. We know it's a big name with a lot of history. But I'm looking forward to it.
'We've shown in the first leg that we coped well with them. We can deal with fast attackers.'
Nagelsmann has prior experience of Anfield having watched Liverpool's 2-1 win over Newcastle in 2014, the year Brendan Rodgers almost delivered a Premier League title.
Despite trailing 2-1, Nagelsmann feels the German side can cause a play-off shock at Anfield
'Excitement is the predominant feeling,' he added. 'Liverpool won I think, 2-1. I was a bit surprised at how supporters seem to behave, there wasn't that extreme chanting from one stand. It was from all four sides.
'The Premier League is very intense. It was very tactical. I was in row two.
'My first memory of European football was when Bayern lost unluckily in the last minute. I was a Bayern fan, my dad was a Monchengladbach supporter. In the recent past I came to Anfield. The pitches in England are excellent. There is a lot of history here and hopefully we can create some.'
Defender Benjamin Hubner said: 'It's difficult with last week but we want to win even more now. We were unlucky. We'll try to take our chances. We're capable of winning.
'We don't want to be overly impressed by Liverpool. It'll be special but we want to progress, to achieve our goal.
'It's not negative to make statements about how well we can play. We want to play good, effective football.'
Benjamin Hubner believes he and his Hoffenheim team-mate can overturn their 2-1 deficit
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