Liverpool easily dispatch Hoffenheim to qualify for Champions League group stage

That is all for this particular blog, thanks for following along. We will have live coverage of the group stage draw from Monaco at around 16.00 BST tomorrow, hope you can join us.

We will also be publishing a few preview pieces in the morning looking at the best and worst case scenarios for the five English teams plus Real Madrid and Barcelona. Keep your eyes peeled for those.

If that wasn't quite enough, IBTimes UK will also be bringing you updates from Croatia as Everton travel to Hajduk Split for the second leg of their Europa League play-off round tie.

Until then, goodnight.

Never in doubt for Liverpool, who put this tie firmly to bed earlier on this evening with some fantastic attacking play spearheaded by Mane and Firmino.

Hoffenheim showed that they also possess a lot of attacking nous, although defensively they were simply nowhere near the level required tonight.

For the first time ever we will have five Premier League and six British teams in the Champions League group stage draw as the Reds, whose position in pot three means they are likely to draw one or possibly even two big sides, join Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Celtic.

Full-time

Liverpool 4-2 Hoffenheim

Moreno makes a clever run but is just unable to collect an overhit pass from Wijnaldum.

Gomez concedes a late corner after Wijnaldum goes looking for a fifth Liverpool goal down the other end.

However, the ball is cleared with ease.

Hubner receives a late booking. The fourth official signals three minutes of added time.

Firmino crashes a shot into the side netting and Mane rightfully receives a standing ovation as he is replaced by Klavan.

Alert goalkeeping from Baumann to intercept a low Firmino cross intended for Salah.

Klavan is preparing to enter the fray for Liverpool.

With 11 minutes left to play, Wagner towers above Lovren to head Kramaric's accurate cross beyond the static Mignolet.

For all of Liverpool's impressive attacking football, Klopp will be disappointed with one or two disappointing lapses in concentration at the back.

Goal: Liverpool 4-2 Hoffenheim (Sandro Wagner)

Mignolet gets down to tip away a low Demirbay drive after the German midfielder collects a lay-off from Wagner, who is flagged offside as he attempts to get hold of the rebound.

Almost a chance for Szalai to reduce the deficit, but he is eventually crowded out in the six-yard box.

A worrying sight for Hoffenheim as Demirbay stays down for treatment before limping off the field in some discomfort.

Nagelsmann has already used all three of his substitutes, remember.

A flurry of subs now as Toljan replaces Kaderabek and Gomez comes on for Alexander-Arnold.

No treble for Can. He makes way for Milner.

Henderson seizes on Demirbay's woeful pass to Vogt and unselfishly allows the impressive Firmino to register a goal against his former employers.

6-3 on aggregate and even the faintest of Hoffenheim hope has surely now been permanently extinguished.

Goal: Liverpool 4-1 Hoffenheim (Roberto Firmino)

Not Mignolet's finest moment. The oft-maligned custodian gets nowhere near an attempted punch before dropping what looked to be a fairly simple catch.

Alexander-Arnold wins possession for Liverpool and Baumann produces another strong stop to deny Wijnaldum.

The Hoffenheim 'keeper has certainly been busy over the course of the two legs.

Baumann is called into action once again to beat away a powerful Mane drive at the front post.

Liverpool are pushing hard for a fourth goal at Anfield.

Gnabry's evening is over. He is replaced by Szalai and heads straight down the tunnel.

Demirbay and Gnabry combine to find Uth, whose latest attempt flies harmlessly past the far post.

Hoffenheim are caught napping from an Alexander-Arnold throw-in down the right-hand side. Wijnaldum plays a quick one-two with Salah before blazing over the crossbar.

Baumann looked to get a touch on that, but the referee points for a goal kick.

Mane turns on the afterburners and wins a corner down the Liverpool left. The ball is floated in towards Matip, who gets his header all wrong.

A magical turn from Firmino, who is kicked by Hubner before being cynically blocked off by Kevin Vogt.

A deserved yellow card for the Hoffenheim skipper.

Mane makes his presence felt in a defensive capacity and Liverpool break. Salah tries to breach Hoffenheim's high defensive line but is quickly flagged for offside.

Liverpool immediately get themselves back on the front foot, but Firmino is just unable to force an opening.

The Brazilian playmaker is then prevented from applying the finishing touch to a searching Alexander-Arnold cross.

The second half is underway. Let's hope it's every bit as scintillating as the first.

Well, that certainly wasn't dull. Sometimes profligate Liverpool's attacking unit looked unstoppable for much of the opening 45 minutes, with Mane and Firmino putting on a show and Can profiting nicely.

After an absolutely nightmare opening, Hoffenheim have looked dangerous themselves going forward. However, they look totally incapable of keeping their opponents at bay.

It's now 5-2 on aggregate and more goals after the interval appear guaranteed.

Half-time

Liverpool 3-1 Hoffenheim

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson joins Geiger and Kaderabek in the book after standing on Demirbay's foot.

Mane looks for the return pass from Can but is stopped in his tracks by the offside flag.

One minute of added time to be played at the end of this entertaining first half.

Hoffenheim spring forward quickly on the counter and Uth forces a low save from Mignolet.

Moreno then makes a strong challenge to dispossess Gnabry following a short corner.

So close to a first half hat-trick for Can, who takes over from Mane and bends a low shot just wide of the post.

Awful at the back, Hoffenheim are still posing a real attacking threat.

A purposeful run from Gnabry is stopped by Matip before the Bayern loanee also fizzes a shot narrowly wide of the far post.

I should mention that Hoffenheim have now collected a couple of yellow cards. Geiger had his name taken for a bad foul on Wijnaldum and Kaderabek is cautioned for a nasty step on Mane's calf.

Liverpool come forward once more and earn a corner off Steven Zuber. Firmino is denied by Baumann after being nicely picked out by Salah and the goalkeeper also collects a curling strike from Mane.

Nagelsmann's attacking change pays off. Hoffenheim have come into the game since the third Liverpool goal and substitute Uth, who also notched in the first leg, beats Simon Mignolet with a fine low strike after collecting a Wagner pass.

Four goals in a truly breathless opening 28 minutes. Surely there isn't a comeback on the cards?

Goal: Liverpool 3-1 Hoffenheim (Mark Uth)

Hoffenheim make an early change. First-leg scorer Uth replaces Nordtveit, who will be glad to see the back of Liverpool.

Signs of life from Hoffenheim. Gnabry shoots agonisingly wide after being played in by Kramaric and Joel Matip clears up for Liverpool following good football from Demirbay.

This is fast becoming an absolute rout.

Hoffenheim just cannot hope to contain Mane, who strides forward once more and produces another clever backheel to release Firmino.

The Brazilian clips the ball to the back post, where Can is on hand to score his second goal of the evening already.

Absolutely ruthless.

Goal: Liverpool 3-0 Hoffenheim (Emre Can)

Sandro Wagner and Gnabry play a neat one-two in the Liverpool box before the latter goes down following some gentle persuasion from Alexander-Arnold.

His appeals for a penalty are waved away by referee Orsato.

Liverpool look a cut above their opponents here.

Former Hoffenheim favourite Firmino stands up Kaderabek and feeds Georginio Wijnaldum, whose low shot hits the base of the post before bouncing out for Salah to fire in from point blank range.

It's 4-1 on aggregate, meaning the visitors will now have to score four unanswered goals to go through...

Goal: Liverpool 2-0 Hoffenheim (Mohamed Salah)

Liverpool continue to look dangerous going forward and are pressing Hoffenheim relentlessly in their own half.

You sense this could turn into a long night for Nagelsmann and company.

That's your classic 'it changes nothing' goal. Hoffenheim, of course, still need to score twice.

The typically electric Mane bursts through the middle before checking his run and teeing up Can with a delicious backheel.

The German midfielder, apparently recovered from the knock he sustained a few minutes earlier, beats Baumann with a shot that takes a big deflection on its way through.

Klopp is delighted. That should settle any lingering nerves among the home crowd.

Goal: Liverpool 1-0 Hoffenheim (Emre Can)

Can went down hurt a few moments ago, but looks OK to continue. There was also a question of a possible handball at Liverpool's first corner.

Geiger and Kerem Demirbay combine to good effect for Hoffenheim, who need to score at least twice this evening don't forget.

Kaderabek's dangerous low delivery is turned wide poorly by Serge Gnabry. The former Arsenal winger, on loan from Bayern Munich, will be happy to see the offside flag raised.

An uncharacteristic lack of composure from Sadio Mane, who goes clean through one-on-one but cannot beat Oliver Baumann.

Salah wins a Liverpool corner and Mane is just prevented from letting fly with an acrobatic effort from close range.

Liverpool have attacked at will during these opening five minutes.

Liverpool make a positive start and Pavel Kaderabek fouls the marauding Moreno in a dangerous area just a few yards outside the penalty box.

Alexander-Arnold's effort clips off the top of the wall and falls for Salah, who heads over the crossbar.

Italian referee Daniele Orsato gets proceedings underway. Can Liverpool successfully book their place in the group stages of this season's Champions League, or will Hoffenheim reach the competition proper for the first time?

The loser of this tie will be entered into the group stages of the Europa League.

You'll Never Walk Alone has been sung by both sets of fans, the flags have been waved, the teams have emerged from the tunnel and the Champions League anthem has been blared out at full volume.

We are now just a couple of minutes away from kick-off.

Here's how those pots are looking as things stand:

Pot one: Real Madrid (holders), Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, AS Monaco, Spartak Moscow

Pot two: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla, Manchester City, Manchester United, FC Porto

Pot three: Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Basel, Olympiacos, Liverpool/Hoffenheim*, Anderlecht, AS Roma, Besiktas

Pot four: Celtic*, APOEL/Slavia Prague*, CSKA Moscow/Young Boys*, Feyenoord, Steaua Bucharest/Sporting Lisbon*, Maribor, FC Copenhagen/Qarabag FK*, RB Leipzig

The group stage draw takes place at 17.00 BST tomorrow at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

If Liverpool go through tonight, then they will be placed in pot three for the group stage draw alongside Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Basel, Olympiacos, Anderlecht, AS Roma and Besiktas.

Due to their lowly Uefa coefficient ranking, a shock triumph for Hoffenheim would see them slide into pot four and Celtic bumped up into three.

While we await kick-off, here is a reminder of the four other Champions League play-off matches taking place tonight.

Celtic, Maribor, Olympiacos, Napoli and Sevilla all sealed their group stage places last night by seeing off Astana, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Rijeka, Nice and Istanbul Basaksehir respectively.

Slavia Prague vs Apoel (0-2)

FC Copenhagen vs Qarabag FK (0-1)

Steaua Bucharest vs Sporting Lisbon (0-0)

CSKA Moscow vs Young Boys (1-0)

30-year-old Nagelsmann, who in 2016 became the youngest coach in Bundesliga history, has been quick to dismiss any suggestion that his side might be overawed by the occasion.

Remember, Hoffenheim are currently competing in their first ever European tie.

People in Germany will be pleased if we make it. There will be surprise because people aren't betting on us. We're full of confidence. If we win people might be a bit shocked when we return home on Thursday.

I'm not in awe of this club. We know it's a big name with a lot of history. But I'm looking forward to it. We've shown in the first leg that we coped well with them. We can deal with fast attackers

Klopp believes that Hoffenheim may have surprised many with their performance in the first leg and has backed the Anfield crowd to play their part tonight....

The main difference between this game tomorrow and the game last week is that now everyone knows about the quality of Hoffenheim. I knew it before but I'm pretty sure a lot of people on England didn't expect the quality of Hoffenheim they saw - that's now clear. For me, it is half-time, and at half-time you have to adjust things, change things in the right direction. The first game was good enough to get a result, the second game needs to be better, that's how it is.

Anfield is a main factor, we all know it, it's a very special place. Nothing happens by itself - we have to perform, we have to deliver - but then we all know the atmosphere can and will help you. I really hope that everybody is ready for this game, everybody is ready to fight. I would be concerned if the people thought it was a weak side coming from Hoffenheim and we need to be dominant and things like this and each bad pass gets a moan. It will not happen because I know we have a football crowd and they know about the quality and so they are ready to fight. And we are ready to fight too.

Hoffenheim make two changes from their first-leg team. Former West Ham man Nordtveit and Dennis Geiger replace Ermin Bicakcic and Lukas Rupp, both of whom drop to the bench.

Reported Tottenham target Jeremy Toljan, Nadiem Amiri, Uth and Adam Szalai are all casualties of Saturday's Bundesliga opener against Werder Bremen. Die Kraichgauer won that contest 1-0 thanks to a late effort from substitute Kramaric.

Liverpool's starting XI is unchanged from the first leg, with Andrew Robertson and Daniel Sturridge replacing Marko Grujic and Divock Origi on the bench.

Roberto Firmino starts against his old side once more.

It's five changes in total from Saturday's narrow 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. Robertson makes way for Alberto Moreno, Lovren replaces Ragnar Klavan, Alexander-Arnold comes in for Joe Gomez, Emre Can takes over from Milner and club-record signing Mohamed Salah is preferred to Sturridge.

Official team news on the way...

Along with Coutinho, Liverpool remain without England duo Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne tonight.

The former will miss at least another month due to a thigh strain sustained against Atletico Madrid in pre-season, while the latter is still recovering from a persistent back problem.

Hoffenheim, meanwhile, are said to be blessed with a clean bill of health.

Klopp revealed during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday that the unsettled Coutinho, who has yet to play in 2017-18, had now recovered from his back injury, although was now being laid low by an unspecified illness.

"He can't start tomorrow because on top of that, he's now ill," the manager said. "It will take time because he has not trained for a long time. I've no idea at this moment (when he will return), we would have to check when he is back."

Relations between the duo are still said to be cordial despite an emailed transfer request, with stubborn Liverpool swiftly rejecting a third bid from Barcelona last Friday said to be worth in the region of £114m.

Fresh rumours over the past couple of days have suggested that the persistent Catalan giants are preparing a fourth offer that could rise to an eye-watering £138m as they seek to push through a deal before the 31 August transfer deadline.

"Of course, everything is okay between me and him," Klopp said. "Absolutely. 100 per cent. I never give any comment to whatever's written or said but it's 100 per cent clear that nothing's changed. I said already, my English is not good enough to give five different answers and always the same question, so nothing changed."

Good evening and a very warm welcome to IBTimes UK's live coverage of the Champions League play-off round second-leg decider between a still Philippe Coutinho-less Liverpool and European debutants TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

The hosts, seeking to book their spot in the group stage of the continent's elite club competition for the first time since 2014-15, are in the driving seat following an eventful opening clash at Sinsheim's Rhein-Neckar-Arena in which they took a commanding lead following a sumptuous free-kick from young Trent Alexander-Arnold and a James Milner effort that was deflected in by Havard Nordtveit.

However, Mark Uth's late effort means this tie is far from over. Indeed, Julian Nagelsmann's charges may even be level pegging had former Leicester City striker Andrej Kramaric not failed to punish an early Dejan Lovren error by producing one of the meekest penalties you are ever likely to see.

Liverpool may remain without one of their key performers in wantaway Barcelona target Coutinho, although they can draw considerable confidence from a strong previous home record against teams that hail from Jurgen Klopp's native Germany.

The Reds, whose last European defeat on Merseyside came three years ago, have won 11 and drawn three of 14 past meetings with Bundesliga opponents on their own turf.

Fire up the football cliche cannon, it's time for another one of those special European nights at Anfield. Stay tuned for all the latest injury news, confirmed lineups and live updates after kick-off at 19.45 BST.