Roberto Firmino welcomes extra Liverpool games as Reds gear up for Champions League

The Reds will be back in Europe’s elite club competition – provided they overcome a pre-qualifier in August – following a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough on the final day of the 2016/17 campaign which sealed a place in the top four.

Should they qualify for the group phase, the Merseyside outfit will face an increase in games per week – something they weren’t used to last term – but Firmino has revealed he’s relishing the prospect of extra games.

“Last season it was sad that we had no European games but we worked hard and now we’re really looking forward to them next season,” Firmino said, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.

“We’ll have more games to play but I would play twice a week if I could. It shows the team is moving in the right direction.”

There should be some caution for Liverpool supporters in terms of playing more than once a week as their Premier League title challenge faded away in early 2017 once Jurgen Klopp’s squad became stretched.

Having crashed out of the FA Cup and EFL Cup in the space of three days, it took them until February to win their first game of the calendar year across any competition.

Firmino was one of the most frequently used players last season. In the Premier League he missed just three games – completing 90 minutes on 27 occasions – while across all competitions only Nathaniel Clyne (3,616) accumulated more minutes than him (3,463).

In a bid to avoid a repeat of that Klopp is expected to bolster his squad significantly this summer and has already completed deals for Dominic Solanke and Mohamed Salah – with more expected to arrive at Anfield before the window shuts.

ARIS