Boyhood Liverpool fan Jack O'Connell reveals why he couldn't enjoy Champions League win over Tottenham Hotspur - and why his sole focus is on Sheffield United ahead of Anfield debut

O'Connell had travelled to Madrid as a supporter. But, as he watched Jurgen Klopp's side beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0, the Premier League footballer in him took over.

"I couldn't enjoy it because I ended up analysing both teams, because it was against Spurs!" smiled O'Connell, who had helped Sheffield United win promotion to the top-flight a few weeks earlier.

"I've never played at Anfield before; not even in school or anything. So all my friends and family will be there and it's going to be unbelievable.

"It's always been a dream to walk out there, with You'll Never Walk Alone playing and all that.

"I just hope Sheffield United can be the team that takes Liverpool's unbeaten run away from them.

"Once I'm in game mode and walking down that tunnel, I won't be a Liverpool fan. I'm a Sheffield United player. It'll be tough, but we have to believe we can do it."

Klopp's Reds are unbeaten in 50 Premier League games and haven't lost at home in the league since April 2017, when they lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace.

The table-topping Reds ended 2019 13 points clear of second-placed Leicester, and with a game in hand, as they look to win their first title of the Premier League era.

"I'm obviously biased but they're where they are for a reason, so we have to treat them with the respect they deserve," added O'Connell.

"I don't like to speak too soon but if they throw it [the title] away now, they don't deserve to win it. But I can't see that happening with the team and manager they have.

"They're unbelievably quick at the top of the pitch and then they have Virgil van Dijk, who can kill you with one pass. We'll be as wary of that as we were at home."

That game, back in September, saw O'Connell and Co. match their illustrious opponents throughout and also have their own chances to go ahead, before Dean Henderson let Gini Wijnaldum's volley squirm through his hands and creep over the line to win the game for the Reds.

"It's the No.1 game for me," O'Connell admitted. "Other people have their own, but this is the game I was looking for as soon as the fixtures came out. I've got 12 tickets and loads of family and friends will be there. But the main thing is to go there and put on a good show."

Asked if he would touch the famous 'This is Anfield' sign on the way out of the tunnel before kick-off, O'Connell was unequivocal.

"I won't be touching no signs," he said. "I'll be trying to get the three points for Sheffield United."