Certain staff at RB Leipzig have done their utmost to make the travelling Liverpool fans feel very welcome to their home ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash.
The two teams face off at the Red Bull Arena, with Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai both starting for the visitors against their former club, and one sound that they may have heard before kick-off will be quite familar to them.
Leipzig play You’ll Never Walk Alone
Just over half an hour prior to kick-off, Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele posted a video to social media showing the iconic You’ll Never Walk Alone booming out across the stadium as it gradually filled up.
The reporter shared the footage to X with the caption ‘YNWA playing here. Bizarre.‘
A nice gesture from RB Leipzig
Although Gerry and the Pacemakers’ most famous hit is primarily associated with Liverpool ever since the Kop took it into their hearts in the 1960s, it’s also been adopted by numerous other fanbases across Europe.
Supporters of Celtic, Feyenoord, FC Twente, Mainz, Genoa and Club Brugge (among other clubs) have all frequently belted out the song from Carousel, although the hit isn’t yet renowned as a staple of RB Leipzig fans.
Nonetheless, given the links between the Bundesliga club and the Reds, perhaps this is one way from the former to showcase those ties, along with the aforementioned Konate and Szoboszlai (plus Naby Keita and Fabio Carvalho) playing for both teams.
Jurgen Klopp’s new role as Head of Global Football with Red Bull offers another connection between Leipzig and Liverpool, albeit one which hasn’t gone down well among many followers of German football.
It was curious yet not unwelcome to hear YNWA booming around the stadium tonight, and hopefully it’ll be sung with jubilant gusto by the travelling Reds toasting another victory for Arne Slot’s side!