5 Great Liverpool Moments Against German Teams in Europe

Liverpool welcome Borussia Dortmund to Anfield on Thursday night looking to secure passage to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, with Jurgen Klopp determined to taste European glory in his first season as manager on Merseyside.

Taking on his former club at the Westfalenstadion last week, the German led the Reds to a 1-1 draw, with Divock Origi's first-half strike cancelled out by a Mats Hummels header—but Origi's effort gave Liverpool a valuable away goal, handing them the advantage heading into Thursday night's clash.

Klopp can be given further encouragement by Liverpool's record against German sides in Europe throughout their history, as This is Anfield's Ben Twelves recalled in anticipation of the encounter.

"In 16 games against German teams at Anfield, the Reds have enjoyed pure dominance, winning 13 and drawing three to remain unbeaten on home soil," Twelves wrote, later adding "the psychological factor [of playing at Anfield] can certainly play a part."

As Klopp plots victory against his former side, and another win over his successor, Thomas Tuchel, he will draw upon Liverpool's European pedigree.

Can Liverpool continue their fine run of form on Thursday night? Here are five great moments for the Reds against German sides in Europe, including a set-piece introduction to the first leg in Dortmund.

UEFA Cup Glory vs. Gladbach, 1973

When Bill Shankly prepared his side to take on Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Cup final in 1973, the Scot will have laid out the objective of securing Liverpool's first-ever European title—taking on the German outfit first at home, and then at the Bokelbergstadion in Monchengladbach.

After a rain-hit Anfield tie was abandoned at the first time of asking, with referee Erich Linemayr calling for the tie to be played out the following day, Shankly was poised to lead his side to glory.

Shankly's was a star-studded Reds side on the up, buoyed by the majestic attacking talents of Kevin Keegan, and backed by the steel of captain Tommy Smith and key centre-back Emlyn Hughes, and this balance of grit and guile proved too much for Gladbach on Merseyside.

An early brace from Keegan gave Liverpool a strong lead, before defender Larry Lloyd added a third from a John Toshack corner, with Ray Clemence saving a Jupp Heynckes penalty to seal a 3-0 win.

The second leg required a more resolute display from the Reds, with two goals from Heynckes giving Gladbach a lifeline before half-time, but Liverpool held on to seal an historic victory.

With Smith lifting the trophy at the Bokelbergstadion, Liverpool become the first English side to win a European trophy and the league title in the same season—as well as securing their first European triumph.

Lifting the European Cup, Rome 1977

Building on their UEFA Cup final success over Gladbach in 1973, Liverpool took on Die Fohlen once again in 1977, to contest a European Cup final held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Bob Paisley's starting lineup included six of the players who started that UEFA Cup final, in Clemence, Smith, Hughes, Keegan, Ian Callaghan and Steve Heighway, and—this time contested over 90 minutes—the scoreline proved similar.

Liverpool got off to the perfect start through a remarkable goal from Terry McDermott, with the midfielder making a ghosting run into the Gladbach penalty area to latch onto a reverse pass from Heighway, before chipping the ball over the sprawling Wolfgang Kneib.

Though Gladbach grew into the game, with striker Allan Simonsen scoring a sensational leveller just after half-time, Liverpool's experience eventually saw them to a 3-1 victory, with further goals from Smith and right-back Phil Neal.

Liverpool's star forward, Keegan, produced a top-level performance on what was his last appearance for the Reds before moving to Hamburg in the summer—the Reds replaced Keegan with Dalglish, but the former No. 7 remains an icon at the club and one of Liverpool's greatest-ever players.

Four years before their win over Real Madrid in Paris, Liverpool secured their first European Cup, setting a precedent for the next 40 years—and a considerable benchmark for their current manager.

Injury-Hit Reds Scrape Through in Munich, 1981

Eight years on from their initial European glory in Monchengladbach, Paisley's Liverpool side looked to challenge for the European Cup, and having reached the semi-finals, the Reds secured a 0-0 draw against a dominant Bayern in the first leg at Anfield.

Taking to Munich's Olympiastadion towards the end of April for their second leg, knowing they would need to score to seal a normal-time victory, Paisley was rocked by injuries to two key defenders in Phil Thompson and Alan Kennedy.

This problem was exacerbated as Kenny Dalglish was forced to withdraw after just nine minutes with an ankle injury, leaving a side including the inexperienced Howard Gayle and back-up defenders Colin Irwin and Richard Money to push for a place in the European Cup final.

As Money recalled in interview with the Liverpool Echo in 2011, Paisley had fired his side up for victory, saying "I have never been in a dressing room that was more determined to get a result than that one."

A goal from Ray Kennedy was enough to secure a 1-1 draw in Munich, with Liverpool advancing through the away-goals rule—Paisley's side went on to beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the final in Paris, with the Englishman becoming the first manager to win the European Cup on three occasions.

Super Cup Glory vs. Bayern Munich, 2001

Michael Steele/Getty Images

In the pantheon of European competitions, the UEFA Super Cup is far from the most reputable, but on the back of a treble-winning campaign in 2000/01, Gerard Houllier's Liverpool looked to use the showcase clash as a platform for sustained success for 2001/02.

Taking on Ottmar Hitzfeld's Bayern Munich, the Reds steeled themselves for a tough test of their credentials, with Bayern having sealed the 2000/01 Champions League with a penalty-shootout victory over Valencia.

Captained by Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, Hitzfeld's Bayern side included the likes of France internationals Willy Sagnol and Bixente Lizarazu, promising Englishman Owen Hargreaves and the prolific Claudio Pizarro, and though both Stefan Effenberg and Thorsten Fink were missing, the Bundesliga giants presented strong opposition.

Houllier named his strongest lineup, led by Finnish centre-back Sami Hyypia, with Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Dietmar Hamann and Michael Owen all taking up their positions in the Liverpool first team.

Flexing their attacking muscles, the Reds went 3-0 up by the 46th minute through goals from John Arne Riise, Emile Heskey and Owen, holding on for a 3-2 victory despite strikes from Bayern duo Hasan Salihamidzic and Carsten Jancker.

This marked Liverpool's fifth trophy in five months, and Houllier went on to lead his side to a second-placed finish in the Premier League in 2001/02. While the Super Cup is often derided as a glorified friendly, victory over Bayern gave the Frenchman's side another lift—and another valuable honour.

You'll Never Walk Alone at the Westfalenstadion, 2016

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Last Thursday's Anfield showdown not only marked Klopp's return to Dortmund, after seven successful years with the Bundesliga club, but also a meeting between two sides intrinsically linked by a passionate support, sharing an anthem in "You'll Never Walk Alone."

When Klopp arrived on Merseyside, he will have been familiar with the Carousel set piece, with Dortmund's Yellow Wall roaring through their interpretation before every home game—a tradition that began at Liverpool in the early 1960s.

Shortly before kickoff at the Westfalenstadion, around 65,000 supporters—both home and away—joined for a breathtaking rendition, which former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson described as a "wow moment."

"Even for a cynical old professional, that was just fantastic," he said, during BBC Radio 5 live's coverage of the encounter, as relayed by the Mirror's Liam Corless.

"Last time I heard anything like that was when Liverpool played Celtic in the UEFA Cup quite a few years ago at Celtic and they did the same thing. It was absolutely magnificent."

Ahead of Thursday night's clash at Anfield, the onus is on the Liverpool supporters to deliver a similarly emphatic reception.

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