Jamie Carragher believes the return of fans will give Liverpool an added boost in their hopes of regaining the Premier League title.
The Reds will welcome their biggest crowd since March 2020 on Saturday lunchtime when they entertain Sean Dyche's Burnley, with a full house of around 54,000 expected inside Anfield.
It will be the largest gathering at the iconic venue since a 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid on March 11 2020 and the biggest in the Premier League for 532 days, dating back to a 2-1 win over Bournemouth.
Liverpool struggled with the absence of supporters last term and saw a 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield in the Premier League ended by Saturday's opponents in January.
That defeat was the first of a half-dozen in successive home games for the first time in club history and left the Reds needing a 10-match unbeaten run in the final weeks of the season to secure a third-place finish on the final day.
Carragher thinks Liverpool struggled more than most without fans in football stadiums across the country last term, but believes it could be an X factor for Jurgen Klopp 's side this time out as they look to wrestle back the crown from Manchester City.
Carragher told the ECHO : "I thought Liverpool would be one of the teams affected more by the situation of no crowds.
"We know how important Anfield is and even Jurgen Klopp and I'd say the team, a lot of the success is built on emotion and the way they play, the speed at which they play.
"You see Klopp on the side of the pitch, he gets carried away with the supporters, that's what make us and Jurgen Klopp special.
"Man City I think do it a different way and there's no right or wrong way and I always felt it would affect us more not having anyone in the stadium and that was proven to be the case.
"You think of when we lost six games on the bounce at Anfield. That was unheard of.
"So you're just hoping they can get this first one out of the way, done, get a win and build that momentum, because if Liverpool are to really challenge for the title or win the title, the home form will be imperative."
After going close to four years without defeat at Anfield in the Premier League, a 1-0 defeat to Burnley on January 21 was followed up by home losses to Manchester City, Brighton, Everton, Chelsea and Fulham as a confidence-shot, injury-hit squad suffered in the first quarter of 2021.
"I don't think it's just Burnley, I think sometimes, under Jurgen Klopp, not sort of the two or three years when we were winning the European Cup and the league, but I think there were times [before that] when it was tough against teams like Burnley with how they set up, making lot of passes and it's difficult to break them down," Carragher added.
"So I don't think it's just a case of [having] a point to prove against Burnley, I think it's more a point to prove against those teams who come to Anfield last year and played like that.
"And it wasn't just Burnley who come to Anfield and played like that, a lot of other smaller teams, if you like, who come and got a result at that time.
"So it's almost [about] proving that point that we're back to where we were a few years ago and if teams put everyone behind the ball, we can still deal with it and get the three points.
"You don't need to ask me as a former player [about the fans], you need to ask the opposition. They will know better than anyone the impact Anfield can have on them.
"Opposition managers, some of the best managers in the world, even Pep Guardiola said it, you know how important it is to Liverpool and as I said, it's not just the support, we have a manager who feeds off that as well.
"Whatever club he was at, he would feed off the supporters. And he's exactly the same."
Carragher, who played 737 times for Liverpool, will be in attendance with his family as Anfield re-opens its doors fully for the first time in 18 months.
"I am looking forward to it myself," he said. "I'll be sitting with my dad and my lad, it's been a long time waiting and I've been one of the lucky ones really that I've been going to the games, but it's not the same.
"I can't complain about it too much because supporters haven't been able to go really, and there's fans up and down the country who support Liverpool who haven't been able to go who haven't missed a game home and away for years and obviously with what's happened they haven't been able to go to a place that they love.
"So I can't wait for Saturday, hopefully the lads get the result and it's a really good atmosphere which I am sure it will be."
