Juliette Ferrington
BBC Radio 5 live in Hoffenheim

Image source, .

Spoke to a few Hoffenheim fans outside the ground. Population here is just over three thousand and they're very proud of the team and its achievements so far.

"It's an amazing historic night. I hope we will score one or two goals. Klopp is one of the best trainers our country has ever produced - but our trainer will be the next normal one! We're excited to be going to Anfield next week and it would be sad if we don't go through but we have come a long way in a short space of time."

Image source, Getty Images

This is the venue for tonight's game, the 30,000-capacity Rhein-Neckar Arena.

Hoffenheim won 11 and drew six of their 17 games there last season.

It's not just about the Champions League tonight because there's also a full Championship programme.

Fancy following that? Then head here.

Image source, Getty Images

Hoffenheim are unusual for having a kid as their manager. Well, he's not a kid in real age numbers but in terms of being a football manager he is.

Julian Nagelsmann, nicknamed 'Baby Mourinho', is 30 years old and has been Hoffenheim boss since he was just 28.

Like Jose Mourinho, he did not have a significant football career, having retired from player at the age of 20 because of injury.

His impact at the German club has been nothing short of stunning. They were in relegation trouble when he arrived and last year only Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund finished ahead of them.

You can read more about Nagelsmann in Neil Johnston's excellent piece.

Image source, Getty Images

We're asking what player's departure from your club upset you the most....

Paul Stearman: Dean Ashton from Norwich to West Ham 2005 - gutted.

What's yours? Let us know via #bbcfootball or text in on 81111 (UK only)

Image source, Getty Images

I've mentioned Serge Gnabry but do you also remember Andrej Kramaric?

The Croatian striker played 15 games for Leicester in the 2015-16 season. He's now on Hoffenheim's books and was the club's top scorer last term with 15 goals and will be a threat tonight.

As you'd expect, Liverpool have gone strong. It is the same starting XI that began the Premier League opener at Watford. Alberto Moreno keeps his place at left-back, ahead of James Milner, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is at right-back. Still no place for summer signing Andy Robertson.

The front line remains Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and £34m Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool XI: Mignolet, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Matip, Moreno, Henderson, Can, Wijnaldum, Salah, Mane, Firmino.

Subs: Karius, Klavan, Gomez, Milner, Grujic, Solanke, Origi.

The dangerman in the Hoffenheim side is striker Andrej Kramaric, who scored 18 goals for them last season. Sandro Wagner, who starts alongside him in attack, bagged 12.

You may remember Serge Gnabry from his time at Arsenal, where much was expected from him. He finally started to fulfill some of that potential at Werder Bremen last season before joining Bayern Munich this summer and then being sent out on a season-long loan to Hoffenheim.

Midfielder Havard Nordtveit, who is on the bench, used to play for West Ham.

Hoffenheim XI: Baumann, Kaderabek, Bicakcic, Hubner, Rupp, Demirbay, Zuber, Vogt, Gnabry, Wagner, Kramaric.

Subs: Kobel, Nordtveit, Toljan, Amiri, Uth, Szalai, Heiger.

Chris Waddle
Ex-Spurs and England winger on 5 live Sport

Image source, .

I think Liverpool have to come here and be positive. They can't sit back and defend because they are encouraging the ball into the box and we know Hoffenheim are a very big, tall, strong side. They will have to be very disciplined.

The way Liverpool play will cause any team problems. They will miss Coutinho because he makes a difference but the problem they will have tonight is that it is very hot and humid. However, I am confident they will score and take a positive result back to Anfield.

Image source, .

Commentary with John Murray and Chris Waddle is on BBC Radio 5 live tonight with build up starting at 19:00 BST.

You can listen, as always on the radio and online.

Juliette Ferrington
BBC Radio 5 live in Hoffenheim

Image source, .

I spoke to some Liverpool fans as well among the crowd outside and they're confident of a first-leg win.

"We think we're going to win - it's much hotter than in England but we would also be happy with a draw and an away goal. Hopefully Coutinho will stay but here or not here - will we miss him? Of course.

"Klopp is a fantastic manager and we are lucky to have him. It's amazing a small club like Hoffenheim can reach the qualifying stage of the Champions League, but hopefully they will not go through and we will be there in September."

Juliette Ferrington
BBC Radio 5 live in Hoffenheim

Image source, .

There's a real positive mood outside the ground and a real excitement too for Hoffenheim fans. First ever night in European football.

It's a sellout crowd in hot and humid conditions. Thunder storms are threatened by forecasters in the second half but that won't dampen the mood among the supporters who have waited a long time to pick up the European tickets.

Chris Waddle isn't convinced that Phillipe Coutinho has a back injury, what's the best reason you've ever given/heard for getting out of playing game?

Losing Coutinho would be a pretty big blow for Liverpool, what player departure from your team has upset you the most?

Let us know via #bbcfootball, text in on 81111 (UK only) or post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

So officially Phillipe Coutinho has a back injury. BBC Radio 5 live pundit Chris Waddle isn't convinced.

He said at the weekend: "A back injury? Wow. It is basically 'I have downed tools, I want to be on the next plane to Barcelona'. If it happened soon he would be available for the next game.

"If his mind is set to leave, take the money."

Image source, Getty Images

Phillipe Coutinho then.

While his Liverpool team-mates were preparing for tonight's game the Brazilian reported to training at Melwood as he recovers from a back injury.

Coutinho submitted a transfer request at the weekend after Barcelona had a £90m bid for the midfielder rejected last week.

Surely it is only a matter of time before Coutinho is eating tapas and sipping Sangrias on Las Ramblas?

Image source, Getty Images

While this is Hoffenheim's very first game in Europe it is Liverpool's 364th and 182nd in the Champions League/European Cup.

Image source, Getty Images

Hoffenheim, or Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V. to use their full, catchy, name, are a club on the rise.

After years of knocking about in the lower leagues of German football they were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2008 and finished fourth last season - their highest ever position - to qualify for a European competition for the first time in their history.

“Personally I have known Hoffenheim since 2007-08 when they got promoted instead of us at Mainz," said Jurgen Klopp. They were third and we finished fourth. They did it, if I can say, a bit like PSG back in the day when they bought a lot of new players in and we couldn’t.

"I know the team, it is nothing new to me, but I don’t think people in Liverpool know how many people even live in Hoffenheim."

It's 3,272, in case you were wondering.

We're straight in with a bit of team news and Jurgen Klopp has opted to keep faith with the same XI that drew 3-3 with Watford at the weekend.

App users may need to click the above to view the tweet.

Image source, Getty Images

The season is just a few days old but there's already plenty for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to ponder.

He's got a midfielder who wants away and a defence that has yet to turn up but a positive result in their Champions League play-off round first leg tonight would go some way to easing any concerns the Reds' fans might have about their team going into the new campaign.

That's easier said than done, however, against a Hoffenheim side that is not to be taken lightly. They did not lose a single home game all last season and in fact were the only unbeaten side in Europe's top five leagues until January.

A tough test.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool - champions of Europe. That's a sentence first written 40 years ago, when the Reds won the 1977 European Cup.

It is a sentence that would be written on another four occasions, the last of which was 12 years ago.

Since then, success in European club football's elite competition has eluded Liverpool. If anything, they've drifted further away from achieving it.

But, for only the second time in the last eight years, the Reds are back in the European big time.

The journey to Champions League success starts tonight.