The Gers Boss looked ahead to the squad’s next match in their European campaign run and insisted his side must embrace the challenges that will be presented tomorrow evening.
Speaking to the press at Anfield ahead of tomorrow’s well-anticipated match against Jurgen Klopp’s squad, he said: “I think the pressure is always on both teams, they’re used to performing on this level.
"For us, it’s a huge step from the last couple of years on the level that we’ve performed in Europe, but we have to embrace the challenge.
“The pressure is also on us because we still want to be involved in Europe after the World Cup break, we have to have points if we want to go through. It’s a hard place to come but we also believe that it’s possible, although we’re going to face a huge challenge.
“You’ll look at the opponents that they face and the way that they played, they’ve conceded more goals than they normally do but we will go out tomorrow to give pressure and win this game – it’s also an opportunity for them to go out and change things around.”
Van Bronckhorst reflected on his side's first two performances in the group stages of the tournament but reiterated that the Light Blues have prepared well to be on top form for the referee’s first whistle tomorrow night.
He continued: “I think the performance that we had against Napoli was a lot better than we showed against Ajax in Amsterdam, we competed really well until the red card.
"After that, it made it really difficult to keep a clean sheet and moving forward was much more difficult.
"In Europe against the opponents that we face, you have to be on top form, individually but also as a team to face the challenge in the Champions League.
“We didn’t start well in Europe, the last two results in the league were very positive for us. For Liverpool, it’s not the result that they wanted on Saturday but they’re still a great side.
"Sometimes that’s the beauty of the game, not knowing what to expect. We have to be prepared if the Liverpool form changes tomorrow.”
The Dutchman took time to emphasise that the squad must carry a belief as they step onto the Anfield pitch tomorrow evening to showcase the character throughout his team as they aim for a positive performance.
He added: “We always have to believe; it starts with belief. If you don’t have any belief when you go onto the pitch, you’re going to face an impossible challenge. That’s the character that we have to show, and we’ve shown that in the past, we have to have the same spirit and belief to get something out of the game because that’s where it starts.
"This is a hard ground to come to and we have to prepare tactically for Liverpool but also for the atmosphere that we’re going to face tomorrow.
“There are many positives to take from this year’s campaign in the Champions League because it’s been many years since we’ve acted on this level.
"We’re improving each year; the Europa League final last season was a great achievement for all of us and we’re all proud to be on this stage to play against the team we are facing. You also want to win games as well and that is our main focus.”
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