Mauricio Pochettino wants Chelsea to ruin Jurgen Klopp 'celebration'

Mauricio Pochettino paid tribute to Jurgen Klopp ahead of Liverpool's clash with Chelsea, but insisted he wants no part in helping give a reason for 'celebration' to the outgoing manager.

The Blues travel to Anfield on Wednesday night, a fixture which is to be repeated in next month's Carabao Cup final.

Liverpool, who remain unbeaten at home this season, will be playing their first Premier League match since Klopp's blockbuster exit announcement last week.

The manager faced an emotionally charged crowd for the 5-2 FA Cup win over Norwich at the weekend, while left back Andy Robertson has stressed how the players want to give the boss a send off  he 'deserves' by continuing to fight on all fronts until the end of the season.

A win over Chelsea would maintain the Reds' lead at the top of the table ahead of a key period. However, three points are unlikely to come easy, with Liverpool's win rate against Chelsea mixed in recent outings.

Blues manager Pochettino too is keen to stop the 'party' for Liverpool.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Argentine told reporters: “It’s a special game for him [Klopp]. Until the end, it’s going to be special always. Every time they play at Anfield, it’s going to be a party always, to celebrate, and to give him all the love they feel, the fans feel for him and I think it’s deserved.

“But we are thinking we need to go there and win the game. Sorry, but we don’t want to be involved or be part of the celebration. We want to perform well and win the game.”

Pochettino's comments have echoes of Jose Mourinho's promise from back in April 2014, when the then Chelsea manager vowed to ‘destroy Liverpool's party’ ahead of a key game in the title run-in.

Chelsea, famously, won 2-0 at Anfield that day, with Liverpool coming unstuck in the race for the Premier League crown.

Almost ten years on, ahead of Wednesday's clash, tenth-placed Chelsea have several big injury concerns ahead of the meeting.

Pochettino also confirmed that Levi Colwill will not be fit to face the Reds, while the likes of Reece James, Robert Sanchez, Romeo Lavia and Nicolas Jackson are also missing.