TODAY Liverpool will play in front of a packed Anfield stadium in a competitive game for the first time since March 2020.

This midday meeting with Burnley in the Premier League comes 17 months after the Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid which was one of the last games in Europe to be played in front of such a large crowd.

Following a relatively disappointing 2020-21 campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s side go into the game with renewed hope, returning players and most importantly, returning fans.

Last season was difficult for Liverpool for a number of reasons, not least because of the loss of the best central defender in the world, Virgil van Dijk, and his centre-back partners Joe Gomez and Joel Matip to season-ending injuries.

At one stage Klopp was without all of if his senior centre-backs as well as Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, the midfielders who had been asked to fill in there.

Reserve defender Nat Phillips became something of a cult hero as Liverpool ended the season with a 10-game unbeaten run, winning eight of those to secure a Champions League qualification place that had seemed unlikely at one stage.

Club captain Henderson missed three months through injury and Diogo Jota, the new signing who had been Liverpool’s most dangerous attacker earlier in the season, also missed three months with a knee problem.

Something Liverpool missed as much as, if not more than, those key players were the supporters — in away games as well as those at Anfield.

The same could be said for other teams, but Klopp’s intense counter-pressing style feeds off the energy from the crowd, home and away.

Since arriving at Liverpool, not a press conference goes by without Klopp giving a team talk to the Liverpool fans due to arrive for the subsequent game.

“We are really blessed with a really good crowd,” Klopp said ahead of this weekend’s game, adding: “In this moment I think everyone wants to enjoy each second in the stadium and we’ll all have to play our part in that, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

The manager’s outlook has transferred to the players who themselves harness the spirit from the stands. They regularly interact with the atmosphere that surrounds them — their actions influencing the fans as they spur them on in return.

Liverpool may look refreshed this season for a number of reasons. It’s one of the first campaigns where star forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have not been involved in an international tournament during the summer.

They have had a rare break and full pre-season to reach optimal levels as the campaign gets underway.

The returning Van Dijk immediately refreshes the defence. He has already reminded onlookers of his class with the ball even if he wasn’t tested too much defensively in the season opener, a 3-0 win at Norwich.

Returning players and the freshness of others makes Liverpool’s XI look like one of the best in the league.

They may not quite have the rich squad depth of the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, but thanks to their savvy recruitment, meticulous preparation and the coaching of a tight-knit group, Liverpool have one of the best starting line-ups in Europe.

The stadium atmosphere plays its part, too. Even away from home Liverpool draw upon the supporters, whether they be opposition fans rallying against them or the raucous pocket of away fans who are on their side.

"The players deserved the atmosphere and this is what football is all about,” Norwich manager Daniel Farke said of his own side’s fans following last weekend’s game.

“To share experiences like today with them and to have these feelings and emotions with them, it’s great to have them back. It’s not been the same without them.”

The importance of the relationship between audience and performers was highlighted starkly during the past year and a half. The role spectators play in these events as they are broadcast to the wider world has also been made clear.

Consequently, spectators and fans have returned enthused. The lucky few who are able to attend events such as Liverpool games are taking less for granted, and they have naturally upped their own game.

Regardless of Liverpool’s level of success this season, there will be an extra edge to their play.

The Burnley game will be a good test of this, as Sean Dyche’s side were one of the opponents who managed to defeat Liverpool in an empty Anfield last season.

Klopp added: “We will try everything to enjoy our first home game in front of our crowd for 520-something days.”

Burnley are a difficult opponent but the return of that crowd, as well as key players, will play an important role if Liverpool are to be successful in this game and beyond.