Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted it would not be the end of the world if the club failed to qualify for Europe this season.
The Reds currently sit in sixth place in the Premier League but have played one game more than fellow challengers Everton and Tottenham.
And there looks to be a genuine possibility that they could be without Champions League or Europa League football next season for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign.
Klopp spoke to German legend Lothar Matthaus in an interview for Sport BILD recently, and was asked what it would mean for Liverpool to spend a season without European competition.
And he replied: "It would mean a huge financial loss. Otherwise not that much.
"I am aware: In almost all football clubs in the world, I would be questioned in a situation like our current one. This is completely normal, reality, the business. I would accept that immediately.
"But it’s different here in Liverpool. Our owners, the sports director, even the players: nobody doubts anyone here. We have accepted the situation for ourselves and fight our way through it."
Klopp also admitted he is pessimistic about his side's chances of finishing in the top four due to the strength of the teams around them in the table.
He added: "I like to be an optimist, but in the league it is almost impossible to qualify in the competition for the Champions League places that we have.
"At Tottenham, Gareth Bale is now playing again, and they are also in the running. Plus City and United, who are far away. Chelsea is on the rise. Reaching Champions League qualification through the league will be difficult, we know that."
One manner in which Liverpool could qualify for the Champions League would be to win the competition, and they will be watching Friday's quarter-final draw with interest after progressing past RB Leipzig in their last-16 clash.
